Book of abstracts

XVIII° CONGRES UISPP PARIS JUIN 201818th UISPP WORLD CONGRESS, PARIS, JUNE 2018

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Table of contents

XVIIIe congres UISPP Paris.pdf 1

XIII-1. Bones, Bodies and Objects - Vectors of symbolic representations 6

The elephant and the handaxe: material represetations in the Lower paleolithic, RanBarkai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Vegetal and zoomorphic decorations on hard animal materials in the Iberian Ironage, false [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Tracking symbols of death and afterlife: overview of burial customs of the LateStone Age Russian Plain hunters-gatherers-fishers., Anastasia Khramtsova . . . . 9

Zoomorphic sculptured images and stylized figures of the Paleolithic ensemble ofthe Malta excavation site, Lipnina Ekaterina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Clothing and necklaces of shell and human and canine mandibles in Teotihuacan(Mexico), Marta Blasco-Martın [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Whale bone within and without: Subsistence and symbolism of whales in a Birnirkdwelling, northwest Alaska, Lauren Norman [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Une technologie liee au symbolisme, cause du changement industriel mesolithiquenordique ?, eva David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Personhood of objects. Artefacts made from animal remains and animal repre-sentations in the Mesolithic of Northern Europe, Maja Pasaric . . . . . . . . . . 18

The spirit in the object – insights from Inuit and Pre-Inuit contexts., Ulla Odgaard [etal.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The represented and the hunted : a material culture and zooarchaeological ap-proach to explore the symbolic role of animals at the Nunalleq site (15-17th c.AD), Western Alaska., Edouard Masson-Maclean [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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XIII-2. Prehistoric Personal Adornment in Social and Economic Context 22

Metal Jewelry of the Southern Levant and its Western Neighbors: Surprising Re-sults Concerning Cross-Cultural Influences during the Early Iron Age, JosephineVerduci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

A long-term perspective on personal adornments, Lars Larsson . . . . . . . . . . 24

A much-desired ornament? The spread of blue fluorapatite beads in prehistoricAnatolia, Emma Baysal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Un collier tardif d’imitations de craches de cerf decouvert dans la necropole del’Age du Fer de Valea Stanii, departement d’Arges, Roumanie, Dragos, Mandescu [etal.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Stone age companions: human-animal relationship expressions and animal teethpendants from hunter-gatherer cemeteries at Sakhtysh complex (central Rus-sia), Aija Macane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

The symbolic use of shell beads in the Palaeolithic of the circum-Mediterranean, DaniellaBar-Yosef Mayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Personal ornaments from Tito Bustillo Cave (Ribadesella, Asturias, NorthernSpain): evidence documented in the Dwelling Area, Esteban alvarez-Fernandez . 30

Shell beads in Neolithic burial contexts - the curious case of Kfar HaHoresh, HeeliC. Schechter [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Gravettian personal ornaments of southwestern Germany and southwestern France– a link of a shared cultural behaviour ?, Sibylle Wolf [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Insights in Epigravettian ornamental traditions: use-wear analysis on the shellornaments from Martin rockshelter (Alpes-Maritimes, France), Leıla Hoareau [etal.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Personal adornments and tools made of wild boar tusks in the Final Stone Ageof Central Russia., Ekaterina Kashina [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Cultural evolution through the scope of personal ornaments, Solange Rigaud [etal.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

The manufacture of ostrich eggshell beads at Mumba Rockshelter, Tanzania, An-drew Kandel [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Group identity and social networks in Gravettian. The case of perforated shellsfrom Poiana Cires,ului site, north-eastern Romania., Elena-Cristina Nitu [et al.] . 39

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New bead assemblages from the Later Stone Age to Iron Age of Northern Malawi:examining technological choice and local economies in diachronic perspective, ClaireHeckel [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Personal ornaments, raw materials and mortuary practices: new insights into theSquare Mouth Pottery culture of the Po Plain (Italy), Roberto Micheli [et al.] . . 43

Biomolecular identification of prehistoric shell ornaments, Jorune Sakalauskaite [etal.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

The production and distribution of personal ornamentation in the Paleolithic ofeastern Central Asia, Arina Khatsenovich [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Shell ornaments from the Aurignacian and Gravettian levels at La Vina rockshel-ter (Asturias, northern Iberia): a technological and functional approach., RenataMartınez-Cuesta [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Coquilles et coquillages comme objets d’ornementation en Afrique du Nord durantl’Holocene, Ismail Saafi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Ornamental elements of the levels P/6 to P/2 from ”El Pirulejo” (Priego deCordoba, Spain), Miguel Cortes Sanchez [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Reindeer teeth pendants: investigating red ochre residues on personal ornamentsfrom Magdalenian and Gravettian contexts at Hohle Fels using SEM-EDS, Eliz-abeth Velliky [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Personal ornaments from osseous raw materials in the Late Neolithic Vinca cul-ture, Selena Vitezovic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

La parure en coquillage et sa signification dans le Paleolithique superieur mediterranee.Les gisements valenciens comme exemple., Begonya Soler-Mayor . . . . . . . . . 56

Adornment for the dead? Social and funerary roles of ivory and bone adornmentin funerary context of late Prehistoric Egypt, Taichi Kuronuma . . . . . . . . . . 57

Real or fake? Red deer canine beads and their imitations from the 5th millenniumBC at Polgar-Cs’oszhalom (NE Hungary), Alexandra Anders [et al.] . . . . . . . 58

Animal hard tissues artefacts from the grave goods of the necropolises of Narde(Rovigo, northern Italy)., Marco Bertolini [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Understanding Palaeolithic social identity in the Easter Adriatic though the lensof technological, use-wear and residue analyses. The case of Vlakno cave (Dugiotok, Croatia), Barbara Cvitkusic [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

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First approximation to the Gravettian sheall bead assemblage from Cova Foradada, GalaGarcıa-Argudo [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Depot d’un ensemble d’elements ornementaux dans le Paleolithique superieur duCau del Roure (Serinya, nord-est de la Peninsule Iberique), Julia Maroto [et al.] 63

XIII-3. Integrating Ballistics into Archaeology 65

Ballistic Archaeology: a new agenda for contextualizing the origin and evolutionof prehistoric weaponry, Sabine Gaudzinski Windheuser [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . 66

Ballistic properties of lithic arrowheads of the GS-1 / Preboreal transition. Com-parative approach of terminal ballistics of the trapezoidal bitroncatures and straightback (Blancheres) points., Eugene Antolinos-Basso [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Ballistics supporting the reconstitution of the functioning of microliths as projec-tile armatures. Methodology and archaeological results., Lorene Chesnaux . . . . 69

Does size matter? Dimensions of Magdalenian osseous projectile points and theiradaptation to prey species, Sebastian Pfeifer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Hunting marmots on the Alps during the Late Glacial: experimental data and 3Dmorphometric analysis of projectile impact marks on bone, Rossella Duches [et al.] 71

Measurement set-up design for archaeological experiments, Johannes Pfleging [etal.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Origin and evolution of projectile technology – Integrating ballistics into con-trolled experimental design and use wear analysis, Joao Marreiros . . . . . . . . . 75

Palaeomechanical investigations of ballistic injury patterns and weapon efficiencyon the basis of Bronze Age finds., Melanie Schwinning [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . 77

The contribution of experimental archaeology to understanding hunting activi-ties: testing the effectiveness of Middle Palaeolithic stone-tipped spears., AliceLa Porta [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

The relevance of the properties of target material in experimental studies of pre-historic weapons, Elisabeth Noack [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Transversal arrowheads of the Mesolithic in Brittany: functional approach througha ballistic experiment, Jorge Calvo Gomez [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Understanding the ballistics of osseous projectiles in southern Vietnam withoutthe aid of direct experimentation, false [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

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What makes a warriors success? Comparing ethnographic records with conceptson prehistoric warfare, Andy Reymann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Why wasn’t the ceramic arrowhead invented?, Michelle Bebber [et al.] . . . . . . 87

‘Sticks and Stones may break these bones’: Experimental approaches to identi-fying the use of wooden hunting spears during the Middle Pleistocene and be-yond, Annemieke Milks [et al.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

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XIII-1. Bones, Bodies and Objects -Vectors of symbolic representations

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The elephant and the handaxe: materialrepresetations in the Lower paleolithic

Ran Barkai ∗ 1

1 Tel Aviv University [Tel Aviv] – P.O. Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel

Early humans in the Old World were producing handaxes and consuming elephants andmammoth (most probably by using stone handaxes) over very long time periods during theMiddle Pleistocene. One of the most interesting hallmarks of these early human groups isthe production of ”replicas” of the stone handaxes from elephant bones. This phenomenon wasmostly overlooked in the past, or simply interpreted as either reflecting shortage in stone or as theproduction of non-utilitarian items for an unknown reason. Following our recent discussion andinterpretation of the significance of the use of elephant remains for the production of the iconichandaxes (Zutovski and Barkai 2016), I would like to push the argument forward and to put itwithin the framework of current anthropological thinking and some perspectives adopted fromstudies of human-animal interaction spheres. Shortly put, I will argue here that the productionof these extraordinary non-utilitarian objects made of selected animal bones, usually perceivedas tokens of ”art” or ”symbolism”, could actually be viewed as reflecting the ontology andcosmology of Paleolithic hunter-Gatherers groups sharing the world with other-than-human-persons and acting under the premise of the-gift-of-the-animal worldview. More specifically,and mostly based on the theory of perspectivism and Amerindian and Polar ontologies, I willsuggest that the special relationships between early humans and elephant are reflected in theproduction of handaxes from elephant bones and provides us with a window into the nature ofthe interactions between early humans and the world they lived in.

Keywords: ontology, cosmology, elephant, handaxe, perspectivism

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Vegetal and zoomorphic decorations on hardanimal materials in the Iberian Iron age

false ∗ , Marta Blasco-Martın ∗ † 1, Consuelo Mata-Parreno 1, LucıaSoria-Combadiera 2, Mercedes Fuentes-Albero 1, Eva Collado-Mataix 1

1 Departament de Prehistoria, Arqueologia i Historia Antiga, Universitat de Valencia (Depaha UV) –Spain

2 Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Castilla la Mancha – Spain

Research of vegetal and zoomorphic decorative motifs documented on artefacts made onhard animal materials in the Iberian Culture (s. VI – s. I BC).Within the industry on hard animal materials stand out the objects without decoration over thedecorated ones and, in this second group, we can highlight the geometrical motifs. However,there are a series of artefacts that present figurative motifs, overall, hairpins with bird-shape orcanine-shape head and combs and plates of bone and ivory with different vegetal and zoomor-phic decorations.

On the other side, the Iberian anthropomorphic decorations are almost non-existent, contraryto what it has been documented in other periods and cultures (for example: hard animal ma-terials industry in Roman times). In some way, the most human representations that we findon this kind of objects are epigraphic inscriptions and nevertheless we only know three of theseartefacts: two bone hairpins, one from la Pena de las Majadas (El Toro, Castellon) and otherfrom Alto Chacon (Teruel), and one box or small container made of antler from El Puntal delsLlops (Olocau,Valencia).Consequently, in this investigation we want to think about the presence and absence of figura-tive motifs represented on these objects made on hard animal materials in the Iberian culture,pretending to answer several questions: Can it be documented a chronological evolution? Dothe same motifs appear represented on bone, antler and ivory artefacts as they do in the objectsmade in other raw materials like clay, metal or stone? Are they singular pieces with other mean-ings the ones that are decorated with these motifs? Are they objects and decorations typicalIberian or are we talking about artefacts with influences from other Mediterranean cultures, orbrought to Iberian Peninsula through trading exchanges?

Keywords: Bone industry, Ivory, Decorative motifs, epigraphy, Iron Age, Iberian culture

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: marta.blasco@uv.es

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Tracking symbols of death and afterlife:overview of burial customs of the Late StoneAge Russian Plain hunters-gatherers-fishers.

Anastasia Khramtsova ∗ 1

1 the Graduate School ”Human Development in Landscapes” at Christian-Albrechts-University – Kiel,Leibnizstrasse 3, Germany

People represent essential information that needs to be either preserved or transferred –through symbols. The possibility to code the immense amount of information and to embodyideas in such a concise way let people use symbols efficiently as a foundation for ritual perfor-mance. Since mortuary practices as all ritual activities always consist of many steps and signs,we also may track symbols and try to explain them on the material of burial sites’ excavations,even though symbols’ interpretation might have a large number of possible meanings (e.g., Gen-nep 1909).The current report is dedicated to first study results of Late Stone Age hunter-gatherer burialsites located in the central part of Russian Plain, where the so-called Volosovo archaeological cul-ture existed during 3500-2700 cal BC. Large and arguably long temporal Volosovo pit-houses,as well as numerous necropolises with complicated structure, are archaeologically well-knownnowadays. Within this communication, burial sites Sakhtysh II, VIII, Chyornaya Gora, andPanfilovo were studied. The collection in focus comes from the Volodary site (Nizhniy Nov-gorod district, excavated in 1946-1947, 1970-1973 and kept in the State Historical Museum,Moscow). The material is mostly unknown to western specialists and may represent essentialparallels to hunter-gatherer burial sites from Baltic and Eastern Europe (e.g. Zvejnieki, Tamula,Sope).

During previous studies of Volosovo burial sites, scholars characterized burial assemblages andtracked the sites’ evolution using the typological approach. However, nowadays it became nec-essary to pose qualitatively new questions related to ritual’s nature.

In my opinion, the following elements might be considered as symbols due to archaeologicalcontext, the recurrence of these features and the existence of reasonably close ethnographicalparallels:

1. Body’s orientation with a head to the water source.

2. Manipulations with the body (intentional disarticulation, ritual murder, ritual physicalabuses).

3. Remains of specific animals in graves – a guide to the afterlife or a social group’s totem

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(Propp 2000).

4. Dog burials nearby graves as a possible symbol of an afterlife guard.

5. The burial sites’ location at the spots of abandoned Volosovo settlements as a symbol ofafterlife household.

6. The fire and the use of ochre as a symbol of transformation and purification.

7. Ritual ‘hoards’ as symbols of memory, care for deceased people, and worship.Having observed these symbols, we will get a little closer to the understanding of both ritual’snature and the underlying ideas of burial performances.

Keywords: mortuary archaeology, archaeology of ritual, ritual life of huntergatherers, Late Stone

Age, burial sites, interpretation of burial objects, archaeology of Russian Plain

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Zoomorphic sculptured images and stylizedfigures of the Paleolithic ensemble of the

Malta excavation site

Lipnina Ekaterina ∗ 1,2

1 Irkutsk State University (ISU) – st. K. Marxa 1, Irkutsk, 664003, Russia2 Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS (IAEt SB RAS) – 17, Acad. Lavrentiev avenue,

Novosibirsk, 63009, Russia

The general register includes 23 sculptured figures, with their morphology determining por-traits affiliation to the groups or even genus of the animal kingdom: the engraving of mammothon the tusk plate and five objects of various degrees of stylization. The main volume of thezoomorphic figurines is the images of the water birds in a flying condition. They are named inthe literature as the ”flying birds”. The total amount of Flying Birds is 19. They are made byone technical manner and have the basic morphological unity. The flying birds of the 23,000-20,000 B.C. period probably are the techno-figurative and techno-production standards of thattime, and therefore constitute a representative number of the examples in the Malta collection ofthe artifacts’ assembly. Except of the flying birds of classical Malta zoomorphic sculpture collec-tion there are also individual portraits of the representatives of the Pleistocene avifauna of theBelsko-Taiturskiy watershed. There are only three figures. Three statuettes of the Paleolithicsculpture made out of mammoth tusk are not standard, they are ”examples-of-innovation”. Thefollowing five objects of the zoomorphic images were conditionally included in the list. Theobject of a beautiful form and original ornamentation, found with the necklace of a child burialin 1929, can be defined as conventional. The ”Flying Bird” or ”flying owl” is the researchers’vision, although with a certain imagination, one could find a similarity with the polar owl, as ifit’s frozen in the silent gliding. The necklace and the ”flying owl” can be seen as the amulets,that hunters of the Arctic territories passed to their newborn babies immediately after theirbirth.The ancient Malta people of the Pleistocene world had their own life and loved hunting, theyprofessed the backbone faith to ”operate” people and animals by using their images and theobjects, as the analogues of friends and enemies. Geese, swans, loons, ravens, of course, werefriends of people, as they were ”friends” with the deer. The Raven had to be in a special posi-tion among the ancient Malta hunters, because even now the population of the Arctic treats thisbird as the universal messenger. As soon as the bird flock appeared in the sky, the herd of deerappeared on the ground. It happened in spring after a long and difficult winter, when all thestocks of food had gone; and it also happened in late autumn, when it was required to preparea proper stock of meat for winter. The white birds could have been asked to ”hurry” with thearrival, laying out their statuettes from a mammoth tusk in the appropriate place and pointingtheir heads in the direction in which they were supposed to fly: to the North in the spring time,to the South in the fall. Birds, accepting the request would arrive earlier. Their ”friends – deer”,hearing the trumpet calls of the feathered friends, would also hurry to meet them. Of course,

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the guesses and versions dear to the researchers’ hearts have been taken from the ethnographicobjects of the recent past. A huge amount of other sketches from Arctic hunting life could beintroduced today, as the most similar material to show the supposed life of the Malta people.

Keywords: Zoomorphic sculptured, Paleolithic ensemble, Malta site, Siberia

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Clothing and necklaces of shell and humanand canine mandibles in Teotihuacan

(Mexico)

Marta Blasco-Martın ∗† 1, Gilberto Perez-Roldan 2, RubenCabrera-Castro 3, Raul Valadez-Azua 4

1 Departament de Prehistoria, Arqueologia i Historia Antiga, Universitat de Valencia (Depaha UV) –Spain

2 Laboratorio de Arquezoologıa, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosı (Lab. ArqueozoologıaUASLP) – Spain

3 Zona Arqueologica de Teotihuacan, Instituto Nacional de Antropologıa e Historia (Zona Arqueologicade Teotihuacan, INAH) – Mexico

4 Instituto de Investigaciones Antropologicas, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (Instituto deInvestigaciones Antropologicas, UNAM) – Mexico

The prehispanic native of Ancient Mexico has a narrow relation with the environment andthe exploitation of fauna is a reflect of this relation. The most useful bone remains to elaborateartefacts were flat bones (scapula or parietal), long bones (tibia, femur, radius or metacarpus)or irregular bones (mandible). Both animal and human bones were used: human bones could bemanipulated because they were the biggest bones in Mexico before the contact with the Hispanicworld, but also because of different symbolic aspects.In the city of Teotihuacan (dated from 1st century BC to 5th century AD) several archaeologi-cal findings related to the work of bone have been documented. In the Temple of Quetzalcoatl(Temple of Feathered Serpent), during the archaeological works of 1988 and 1989, directed byRuben Cabrera, Saburo Sugiyama and George Cowgill, a series of burials were found being partof an offering. This offering contained eighty burials (individuals and multiples) located sym-metrically to the fourth cardinal points, inside and outside the temple. It has been interpretedas an offering deposited in honour of the temple.Likewise, during the archaeological works, mandibles of human and canines (dogs and coyotes)associated to the burials G4 and G5 were discovered. They were placed as clothing accompa-nied by beads with human teeth shape made on seashells. In this study we want to focus onthe importance of their manufacture and the symbolism of teeth, mandibles and maxillae forTeotihuacan people.

Keywords: Bone industry, seashells, human bones, Teotihuacan, offering

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: marta.blasco@uv.es

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Whale bone within and without:Subsistence and symbolism of whales in a

Birnirk dwelling, northwest Alaska

Lauren Norman ∗ 1, Owen Mason 2,3, Claire Alix 4,5

1 University of Kansas – Lawrence, KS, USA, United States2 Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) – United States

3 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder – United States4 Archeologie des Ameriques (ArchAm) – Universite Pantheon-Sorbonne, Centre National de la

Recherche Scientifique : UMR8096 – 21 Allee de luniversite 92023 NANTERRE CEDEX, France5 Universite Pantheon-Sorbonne (UP1) – Universite Pantheon-Sorbonne – 12 place du Pantheon - 75231

Paris Cedex 05, France

Baleen whale hunting is one of the most chronicled activities in the Alaskan Arctic ethnohis-toric record. Ethnography recounts whale hunting preparations, the hunt, the sharing and uses ofwhales, and associated symbolic rituals. Whaling among modern Inuit is attended with culturalvaluation, so discerning prehistoric whaling has important political resonances. Archaeologistshave projected social, ritual, and symbolic dimensions to past archaeological assemblages withwhaling archaeofaunas. Inferences from whale bone taphonomy, paleoecology, and paleodemog-raphy by Savelle, McCartney, and others, allow researchers to distinguish between hunted andscavenged whales, and to identify past whaling locations. Sample size is critical in substantiatingwhaling; at sites with small whale bone accumulations it is difficult to unequivocally confirmactive whaling. The Birnirk Rising Whale site, KTZ-304, at Cape Espenberg on the southernKotzebue Sound does not yet offer unequivocal evidence for whaling during the 11th to 12thcenturies AD. Whale hunting does not occur presently in the vicinity, although oral historyand ethnohistoric accounts refer to past whaling and a now extinct subpopulation of bowheads.Whale products occur in abundance in the Birnirk dwelling. On the floor, worked and unworkedbaleen pieces comprise 10% of the artefact assemblage, in contrast to later Thule dwellings onthe same dune and the adjacent, younger, dune. Fifteen baleen whale elements, minimally 3individuals, were placed atop, beside, and within the house. Artifacts in the Birnirk structuremay provide evidence of whaling: a large ivory harpoon head preform and large slate end blades,one inset into a large socket. Since AD 1000, the Cape Espenberg spit has shallowed, as sandaccumulated offshore. Changes in the extent or distribution of sea ice may have fostered whalingin the past. Although Birnirk people at Cape Espenberg did not likely procure whales as a focalresource, they did acquire whale products, especially baleen, in great amounts. Whale boneswere incorporated into the house and likely displayed on the roof. We argue that to Birnirkpeople, whale bones served as vectors, possessing multiple dimensions, significances, and mean-ings. These whaling vectors were such an essential part of their identity that they expendedvaluable effort to acquire and display them. Minimally, the presence of whale products indicatesthe active participation and self-identification of Birnirk people in regional social networks ofsymbolic expression and identity, possibly even as whalers with other communities.

∗Speaker

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Keywords: Arctic, Birnirk, whaling, identity

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Une technologie liee au symbolisme, causedu changement industriel mesolithique

nordique ?

eva David ∗ 1

1 Archeologies et Sciences de lAntiquite (ArScAn) – Universite Pantheon-Sorbonne, Universite ParisNanterre, Ministere de la Culture et de la Communication, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

: UMR7041 – Maison Rene Ginouves Boıte 3 21, allee de luniversite 92023 NANTERRE CEDEX,France

A la fin du VIIIe millenaire avant J.-C., l’Europe scandinave vit un bouleversement majeurdu point de vue technologique : l’arrivee du debitage par pression (Sørensen 2012). Inconnuauparavant sur le territoire, notamment en Sjælland, l’adoption de celui-ci pose la questiondes conditions de son adoption : innovation, transfert de technologie ou mouvement demique(Sørensen et al. 2013). Quel que soit le scenario, l’appropriation de cette nouvelle technolo-gie dans le lithique, comme elle aura permis l’obtention de supports plus standardises, ameneune autre transformation industrielle sur le long terme au cours du Mesolithique moyen et fi-nal : les armatures en os qui etaient traditionnellement simples ou a barbelures sont partoutremplacees par des pointes a lamelles, dont le fut est en os ou meme en bois vegetal. Enquelques decennies, la culture materielle precedente disparaıt ainsi completement. De surcroıt,l’enregistrement des plus anciens aspects de ces pointes a lamelles sur le territoire voit la venuede formes foncierement nouvelles –les sagaies- par rapport aux engins de chasse et de peche alorsen usage. On s’interrogera donc sur la portee de ces transformations en termes industriels etdans le rapport entrevu entre les premisses de l’adoption d’une nouvelle technologie et la valeursymbolique qu’elle aura pu recevoir, non seulement en tant que phenomene technique mais aussidans le type de chasse ou meme dans l’espece animale chassee elle-meme auquel elle aura purenvoyer de facon nouvelle.A technology linked to symbolism, the cause for Nordic Mesolithic industrial change?

At the end of the eighth millennium BC, Scandinavian Europe experienced a major techno-logical change: the arrival of pressure debitage (Sørensen 2012). Unknown previously on theterritory, especially in Zealand, the adoption of this one raises the question of the conditions ofits adoption: innovation, transfer of technology or demic move (Sørensen et al., 2013). Whateverthe scenario, the appropriation of this new technology in the lithic, as it will have allowed theobtaining of more standardized supports, brings another industrial transformation on the longterm during the middle and final Mesolithic: the bone points which were traditionally simple orbarbed are everywhere replaced by slotted points, whose stem is made of bone or even of vegetalwood. In a few decades, the previous material culture disappears completely, so. In addition,the recording of the oldest aspects of these slotted points in the territory sees the arrival of fun-damentally new forms - the spearheads made of bone – in comparison to the hunting and fishinggear then in use. We will therefore question the scope of these transformations in industrial

∗Speaker

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terms and in the relationship glimpsed between the premises of the adoption of a new technol-ogy and the symbolic value that it may have received, not only as a technical phenomenon butalso in the type of hunting or even in the hunted animal species itself to which it could havereturned in a new way.

Sørensen, M., 2012. The arrival and development of pressure blade technology in southernScandinavia. In: Desrosiers, P. (Ed.), The Emergence of Pressure Blade Making: from Originto Modern Experimentation. Springer, New York, pp. 237e260.Sørensen, M., Rankama, T., Kankaanpaa, J., Knutsson, K., Knutsson, H., Melvold, S., Eriksen,B.V., Glørstad, H., 2013. The first eastern migrations of people and knowledge into Scan-dinavia: evidence from studies of Mesolithic technology, 9th-8th millennium BC. NorwegianArchaeological Review 46 (1), 19-56.

Keywords: Technology, symbolism, bone, equipment

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Personhood of objects. Artefacts made fromanimal remains and animal representations

in the Mesolithic of Northern Europe

Maja Pasaric ∗ 1

1 University College Dublin [Dublin] (UCD) – Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

Unmodified animal remains, artefacts made from animal remains (tooth, bone, antler) as wellas animal representations found in Mesolithic burials of Northern Europe have so far received asignificant amount of attention. Generally, these finds have most often been interpreted as rawmaterials to be used by humans in the afterlife, sacrificial gifts, symbols of particular worldviews,indicators of social statuses or as personal adornments and amulets - as in the case of toothpendants and similar ornaments. This contribution sets to explore options for broadening ourunderstandings of such finds. With the help of ethnographic literature about near-contemporaryeastern Siberian hunting and gathering communities and by exploring different notions of agencythe paper seeks possibilities for viewing them as affective animated things and defining theirpersonhood.

Keywords: animals, personhood, objects, agency, Mesolithic, hunter, gatherers

∗Speaker

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The spirit in the object – insights from Inuitand Pre-Inuit contexts.

Ulla Odgaard ∗ 1, Claire Houmard ∗ †

1 National Museum of Denmark – Frederiksholms Kanal 12, DK-1220, Copenhagen, Denmark

In the pre-modern circumpolar world, animals were the key resources both for food, clothingand tool kits. Animals were also active partners, assisting the hunter in getting supplies and alsoin communicating with the spiritual world. This paper will, based on ethnographic analogies,present tools, amulets and figurines from the Inuit and Pre-Inuit cultures, which we will arguerefer to the concept of ”Inua” in the past.In the Inuit language ”inua” can mean ”the spirit in the object”. Traditionally this conceptin the daily life was used in hunting, when – in order to communicate with the game – specialattributes were designed on the hunting weapons. It could be schematic or exact reproductionsof animal parts, which would make the hunted prey able to ”recognize” the weapon as a friend.Beautifully made hunting tools were considered to show respect for the game and to be moreeffective.

Also the use of amulets can be understood in the light of Inua, when animal attributes couldspiritually give their strength and abilities to humans. Inua played an active part in the shapingand designing of objects, and we suggest that this way of thinking is not confined to the Inuitworld, but could inspire the study of other prehistoric materials.

Keywords: Inuit, Pre, Inuit, Inua, hunting tools, amulets

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: clairehoumard@yahoo.fr

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The represented and the hunted : a materialculture and zooarchaeological approach toexplore the symbolic role of animals at the

Nunalleq site (15-17th c. AD), WesternAlaska.

Edouard Masson-Maclean ∗† , Claire Houmard ∗

1, Richard Knecht , Isabelle Sidera , Kate Britton

1 Laboratoire Prehistoire et technologie (CNRS UMR 7055) – Universite Paris X - Paris Ouest NanterreLa Defense : EA020, CNRS : UMR7055 – 21 allee de l’Universite. F-92023 NANTERRE Cedex, France

Animals were central to the lifeways of northern prehistoric hunter-gatherers providing foodand raw materials for clothing and making tools and objects, but they also possessed a highsymbolic value. There are numerous examples from around the world which highlight the im-portant socio-cultural role played by animals in prehistoric societies. However, little is known ofthe non-utilitarian role of animals in pre-contact Yup’ik society (of the Western Thule culture),due to the lack of archaeological research in Western Alaska and the Y.-K. Delta in particular,but also because most studies have focused on the economic role of animals. The rich ethno-graphic record available for the region may provide valuable insights into the spiritual world ofthe historic and modern Yup’ik but some caution is necessary as the indigenous populations wereexposed to the fur trade and Christianity relatively early. As a result, the manner in which thisaspect of human-animal relationships materialised itself prior to European contact is unknown.This study will address this knowledge gap by analysing the material culture and faunal remainsfrom the well-preserved coastal site of Nunalleq (15th-17th AD) which offers a unique opportu-nity to explore the symbolic nature of human-animal relationships in pre-contact Yup’ik society.In particular, this study benefited from the possibility of confronting symbolic representations,on various types of objects and materials, of real and imaginary animals from the site withwell-preserved faunal remains and a rich ethnographic record. Discrepancies between the faunalrecord and animal representation in pre-contact Yup’ik art appear to demonstrate that animalswith a high utilitarian value may not necessarily hold a similar status in the spiritual world ofpeople at the site. This study has the possibility to enlighten us on pre-contact Yup’ik beliefsystems and socio-cultural values, elements critical to the understanding of, not only pre-contactYupik society, but also Western Thule and northern prehistoric societies as a whole.

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: edouard.masson-maclean@abdn.ac.uk

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Keywords: Arctic, Alaska, Yup’ik, symbolic representation, zooarchaeology, bone technology

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XIII-2. Prehistoric PersonalAdornment in Social and Economic

Context

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Metal Jewelry of the Southern Levant andits Western Neighbors: Surprising Results

Concerning Cross-Cultural Influencesduring the Early Iron Age

Josephine Verduci ∗ 1

1 University of Melbourne — Associate – Parkville VIC 3010, Australia

This paper presents the results of my PhD thesis, which examines the nature of adornmentduring the Early Iron Age period of the southern coastal plain of the Levant (ca. 1200–900B.C.E.). The early stages of this period represent a departure from Late Bronze Age traditionsand evidence of cross-cultural influences within the eastern Mediterranean. Metal jewelry is as-sessed from 29 sites in the southern Levant, the Aegean, and Cyprus, resulting in the creation ofthe first multiregional typology of metal jewelry for the Iron Age I–IIA eastern Mediterranean.Qualitative and quantitative analyses differentiate subtypes and regional preferences. Combinedwith the scoring of artifact similarity between geographic regions, these analyses demonstratespecific adornment practices that link the southern Levant to its western neighbors. This paperdemonstrates that in contrast to previous assumptions, jewelry can be a useful tool in identifyingcultural identity. Furthermore, I show that (contrary to expectations, perhaps), there is little tosuggest a distinctly Aegean presence in the jewelry of Philistia. Statistical analysis of the dataand distribution patterns indicates that the main spheres of influence on the jewelry of Philis-tia and Cisjordan were in fact Cyprus and Transjordan, and that these practices demonstratestrong local traditions, although there are some anomalous Aegean and Anatolian features. Thisconclusion supports recent suggestions that the Philistines in fact arrived from multiple origins,including the Aegean, Cyprus, Anatolia, Sicily, Sardinia, and the northern Levant, and thenbecame intertwined with local populations in the southern Levant.

Keywords: Adornment, metal jewellery, Early Iron Age, southern Levant, Sea Peoples, entangle-

ment theory, cultural identity

∗Speaker

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A long-term perspective on personaladornments

Lars Larsson ∗ 1

1 Institute of Archaeology and Ancient History – Institute of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lunduniversity, Lux, Se-221 00 Lund, Sweden, Sweden

The Zvejnieki site in northern Latvia includes about 330 graves covering the period 7500until 2600 cal BC. A large number of these graves have personal ornaments. During the earlyuse of the cemetery perforated teeth totally predominated. More than 2600 tooth beads havebeen analysed as to species and position on the interred. The different species are arrangedaccording to special rules in the society that changed with time. An analysis of the trace wearof the perforation gives an interesting perspective of when a member of the society was givenor was allowed to acquire new adornments. Differences in how the beads were attached to thedress can be viewed in a chronological perspective that also relates to gender. During the lateruse of the cemetery beads, pendants and rings made of amber became popular. A double graveprovides interesting aspects of how this kind of adornment was used and how it relates to bothsexes.

Keywords: mesolithic, the Baltic region, Latvia, adornment

∗Speaker

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A much-desired ornament? The spread ofblue fluorapatite beads in prehistoric

Anatolia

Emma Baysal ∗ 1

1 Trakya University – Turkey

From around 6400 BC onwards bright blue coloured beads appear at sites around Anatoliaand in the Near East. It has been established that these beads were made from fluorapatiteformed from fossilized bone/ivory and treated to obtain the blue colour. These beads share acommon range of forms that often differ from those seen in the assemblages with which they areassociated. The beads raise questions about the nature of interactions in the Neolithic period, aswell as the value attributed to, and investment made in, certain items of personal ornamentation.Several years of data collection and scientific analyses of archaeological assemblages in Anatoliansites of the later Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods has produced interesting results regardingthe manufacture and use of these beads. This paper uses the assemblages from sites across theregion to ask how and why these beads might have been spread across such a large area, why thecolour and form might have been important and what we might be able to say about the desirefor blue colour. An attempt is made, using the available stratigraphic and dating information,to reconstruct where the beads might have originated and how fast they could have travelled totheir final destinations. This is then used as a tool to think about how we conceptualise timeand space in relation to material culture in early periods.

Keywords: Beads, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Networks, Distribution, Typology

∗Speaker

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Un collier tardif d’imitations de craches decerf decouvert dans la necropole de l’Age duFer de Valea Stanii, departement d’Arges,

Roumanie

Dragos, Mandescu ∗ 1, Mihai Constantinescu† 2, Monica Margarit‡ 3

1 Musee Departemental d’Arges, Pites,ti (MJA) – Str. Armand Calinescu, nr. 44, 110047 Pites,ti,judet,ul Arges, , Romania

2 Institute d’Anthropologie Francisc Rainer”, Bucarest – Romania3 Universite Valahia, Targovis,te – Romania

Les colliers de craches de cerf assemblees sont connus depuis Paleolithique superieur commedes markers symboliques du statut, de l’autorite et du prestige du possesseur. Probablementle plus spectaculaire de ces colliers est celui eneolithique du depot de Brad (departement deBacau, Romania), forme d’environ 200 craches de cerf et imitations en os percees. A mesureque le temps passe, ces colliers deviennent de plus en plus rares, parmi les plus tardifs connusjusqu’a present etant un exemplaire documente dans l’Europe Centrale-Est a l’aube de l’Agedu Fer, a savoir le collier de sept craches de cerf percees de la tombe 31 de F’uzesabony-Kett’oshalom” (departement Heves, Hongrie). Une seule crache percee a ete signalee aussi dansune tombe ”d’epoque scythique” de Tiszal’ok (departement Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Hongrie).Une decouverte recente (saison 2015) faite dans la necropole d’incineration de Valea Stanii(departement d’Arges, Roumanie), cimetiere qui appartient au groupe culturel Ferigile (VIIeme-Veme siecle av. J. Chr.), a fourni probablement le plus tardif collier de ce type. Celui-ci faisaitpartie de l’inventaire funeraire de la tombe principale du tumulus 4. Le respectif ensemble clos aetale quelques traits distinctifs et incitants. Tout d’abord c’etait un tombeau double ou ont etedeposees les uns a cote des autres deux groupes distincts d’os incineres appartenant a une femmeadulte et a un individu subadulte de sexe non identifie. Avec les os de la femme ont ete trouves,pour la premiere fois a l’interieur du groupe Ferigile, quelques centaines de perles miniaturees encaolin, pieces frequentes dans d’autres milieux culturels voisins et contemporaines, par exemplea l’interieur du groupe Ciumbrud de Transylvanie. Parmi les os incineres du subadulte ont etetrouves 16 pendeloques imitant les craches de cerf et a cote d’eux quelques armes en fer. Lesimitations des craches de cerf realisees minutieusement ayant le bois de cervide pour matierepremiere, soulignent une fois de plus leur grande valeur symbolique, mais egalement la difficultede procurer les pieces authentiques pour satisfaire les rigueurs de la tradition et d’expressiondu statut social. Tres probablement, les perles ont ete cousus sur les vetements. Le defunt/lesdefunts avaient sans doute un grand prestige dans leur communaute, etant donnee la quantiteimpressionnante de ceramique recoltee de cette tombe, qui est la plus grande de la necropole.Les imitations de craches de cerf au-dela de leur valeur esthetique comme pieces de parure

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: mihaic2005@yahoo.com‡Corresponding author: monicamargarit@yahoo.com

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rare et valeureuse constitue un temoignage certain qui prouve la transmission des traditionsprehistoriques liees au statut, au prestige, a la representation et au symbole au long de quelquesmillenaires de l’Paleolithique superieur et jusqu’a la fin de la Premiere Age du Fer dans l’Est del’Europe.

Keywords: Premiere Age du Fer, Roumanie, rituels funeraires, pendeloques en crache de cerf,

imitations

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Stone age companions: human-animalrelationship expressions and animal teethpendants from hunter-gatherer cemeteries

at Sakhtysh complex (central Russia)

Aija Macane ∗ 1

1 Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg – Sweden

The hunter-gatherer cemeteries around the Baltic Sea reveal complex burial practices. Abun-dance of animal remains, particularly animal teeth (mainly incisors and canines) have been usedas personal adornments. However, other body parts, like jaws, phalanx, astragalus, antlers,claws have also been also found within hunter-gatherer burials. This presentation focus on newanalysis of animal teeth pendants discovered in hunter-gatherer burials at Sakhtysh cemeteriesin the Upper Volga region of central Russia. The combination of animal species, animal bodyparts used for personal adornments and new C14 datings form the ground for the investigation.Although, mainly carnivore teeth have been used to make pendants, an interesting examplecomes from burial 24 at Sakhtysh IIa cemetery where marmot (Marmota Bobak) teeth werediscovered. This is unusual find at Sakhtysh indicating long distance contacts with easternand southern areas, since other non-local items, such as serpentine pendants were also discov-ered in the same grave. This study is part of the dissertation that problematize the Holocenehunter-gatherer relationship with the animal world and surrounding environment, how animaland human worlds co-existed, confronted, affected and used one another during Stone Age.Other materials included in this research come from Zvejnieki cemetery in northern Latvia andSkateholm cemetery in southern Sweden. The theoretical framework of this project is anchoredin the growing field of environmental humanities and related theoretical approaches includingposthumanism, new animism and new totemism, which all in different ways aim to decentral-ize human dominance and assign more active roles to other participants of the multi-layeredrelations between humans and animals.

Keywords: human animal relations, tooth pendants, Zvejnieki, Sakhtysh, Skateholm

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The symbolic use of shell beads in thePalaeolithic of the circum-Mediterranean

Daniella Bar-Yosef Mayer ∗ 1

1 The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University (SMNH, TAU) – Ramat Aviv, TelAviv 69978, Israel

Beginning about 100,000 years ago, shell beads are found in sites in the Levant and NorthAfrica. These assemblages are composed of a small selection of shell species that are mostlyperforated naturally and were used as personal ornaments. Their use is evident from use wearon the perforations, as well as the apparently intentional darkening of the shell color by heating,as well as the presence of red ochre on many shells. With the dispersal of modern humans,beginning at about 45,000 years ago shell beads become much more common in sites, theirnumbers increase, as does the diversity of species. Different trends of dispersal of specific shellspecies seem to follow the dispersal of humans, especially between Europe and the Levant.Several shell species spread from the Levant to Europe, and others track in the opposite direction.The symbolic use of the shells is understood from the application of color to them, and fromthe choice of specific species at specific times in the Mediterranean world, which is not random,but intentional and consistent.

Keywords: Shell beads, Middle Palaeoltihic, Upper Palaeolithic, Circum, Mediterranean, symbol-

ism

∗Speaker

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Personal ornaments from Tito Bustillo Cave(Ribadesella, Asturias, Northern Spain):

evidence documented in the Dwelling Area

Esteban alvarez-Fernandez ∗ 1

1 Departamento de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueologıa, Universidad de Salamanca. – Facultadde Geografia e Historia Calle Cerrada de Serranos s/n, 37002, Salamanca, Spain.

estebanalfer@hotmail.com; epanik@usal.es, Spain

In the excavations performed by M. A. Garcıa Guinea and J. A. Moure in the Dwelling Areaof Tito Bustillo Cave (Ribadesella) between 1970 and 1986, 24m2 were excavated, documentingtwo archaeological levels. In Level 1, more than 200 personal ornaments were found, madefrom different raw materials that came mostly from animals and to a much lesser extent fromminerals. Many were made from small shells of different marine gastropod (above all, Littorinaobtusata and Trivia sp.), bivalve (e.g. Glycymeris sp.) and scaphopod species. These arefollowed in frequency by pierced teeth (mainly red deer atrophied canines, but also goat andreindeer incisors) and objects used as adornments that were made from different kinds of bones,including diaphyses and hyoids, and from antler. Beads in minerals and rocks (e.g. schist, jet)are also documented. All together, Tito Bustillo Cave has yielded the largest number of personalornaments dated in the Magdalenian in Cantabrian Spain

Keywords: personal ornaments & beads, Lower Magdalenian, Greenland Stadial 2, Upper Pleis-

tocene, Tito Bustillo Cave, Cantabrian Spain

∗Speaker

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Shell beads in Neolithic burial contexts -the curious case of Kfar HaHoresh

Heeli C. Schechter ∗† 1, A. Nigel Goring-Morris 2, Daniella E. Bar-YosefMayer 3

1 Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem(MNDL-HUJ) – Jerusalem 91905, Israel

2 The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) – Jerusalem 91905, Israel3 The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University (SMNH) – Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel

This study examines the use of shell beads in specific burial contexts found at the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) cultic-mortuary site of Kfar HaHoresh, Israel. The site includesstrata representing the three major phases of the PPNB – Early, Middle and Late. Architecturalelements, material culture and mortuary practices change through the Neolithic sequence foundat the site, reflecting changing cultural behaviors, norms and beliefs.Architectural changes include the transition from the use of a massive walled and lime-plasteredpodium, to multiple complexes of terraces, smaller structures and plastered surfaces, cists, in-stallations and combustion features, scattered in groups throughout the site. Burial customschange from single, mostly primary adult burials, to multiple secondary burials, some with bonearrangements and an increase in accompanying grave goods. These developments are graduated,complex and not necessarily synchronous yet represent a general vector of change.A very large molluscan assemblage (> 3,200 items), including marine, freshwater and land snailshells, was found in different contexts at the site. Concentrating on the marine shells, the as-semblage is typical of Mediterranean zone PPNB sites, including mostly Mediterranean bivalves,accompanied by a small group of Mediterranean gastropods and rare Red Sea gastropods. Thepresence of Red Sea shells, originating at least 350 km away, attests to the long distance con-nections between different human populations in the Levant. A small fraction of the shells fromthe site are worked, perforated, or otherwise manipulated to function as beads and pendants.The shell beads recovered from burial contexts at the site, representing an integral aspect ofdeveloping funerary practices, are examined, and the different trends of change and continuityin this cultural behavior during the course of the PPNB, are discussed.

Keywords: shell beads, burial contexts, Kfar HaHoresh, Neolithic PPNB

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: heelinka@gmail.com

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Gravettian personal ornaments ofsouthwestern Germany and southwestern

France – a link of a shared culturalbehaviour ?

Sibylle Wolf ∗† 1, Carole Vercoutere ∗

2, Dorothee Drucker ∗

1, Susanne Munzel ∗

1, Nicholas Conard ∗

1

1 University of Tubingen – Germany2 Museum National dHistoire Naturelle (MNHN) – Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle – 57, rue

Cuvier - 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France

The two regions southwestern Germany and southwestern France yielded Gravettian per-sonal ornaments in form of tear-drop-shaped beads made from mammoth ivory. Here we presenta detailed overview of this characteristic feature that appeared with the beginning of the Gravet-tian culture. The artefacts are of striking similarity in the two regions and we discuss this factby means of artefacts at hand; this was the starting point of the current research.In contrast to the Swabian Aurignacian ivory was less used for the manufacturing of domestictools during the Gravettian; the people, then, nearly exclusively used this special material tocarve tear-drop-shaped beads. In addition, much more animal teeth were worked as personalornaments than during the Aurignacian times. This could reflect a reduction of the availabilityof raw material, which could be due to a decline of mammoth populations, and/or reflect achange in the cultural behaviour.

In southwestern France, if evidence exist that people could have used ivory of contempora-neous animals present in Dordogne, an importation of the material from other regions is alsoconvincing so far. The hypothesis of importation of exogenous material must be consideredseriously. We investigate if we could state the production of tear-drop-shaped beads on sitein both regions. One research question is how we could envisage a link between two regions,southwestern Germany and southwestern France, geographically so far one from the other.

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: sibylle.wolf@senckenberg.de

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Selected literature

Conard, N. J., Bolus, M., 2008. Radiocarbon dating the late Middle Palaeolithic and theAurignacian of the Swabian Jura. Journal of Human Evolution 55, 886-897.

Drucker, D. G., Vercoutere, C., Chiotti, L., Nespoulet, R., Crepin, L., Conard, N. J., M’unzel, S.C., Higham, T., van der Plicht, J., Laznickova-Galetova, M., & Bocherens, H., 2015. Trackingpossible decline of woolly mammoth during the Gravettian in Dordogne (France) and the AchValley (Germany) using multi-isotope tracking (13C, 14C, 15N, 34S, 18O). Quaternary Interna-tional 359-360, 304-317.

Goutas, N., 2004. Etude de la parure sur coquillages, dents animales et ivoire des niveauxgravettiens du gisement de la Gravette (Dordogne) : charge identitaire et souplesse des normestechniques. Antiquites Nationales 36, 39-51.

Henry-Gambier, D., Nespoulet, R., & Chiotti, L., 2013. Attribution culturelle au Gravettienancien des fossiles humains de l’abri Cro Magnon (Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, Dordogne, France).PALEO 24, 121-138.

Lartet, E., & Christy, H., 1865-1875. Reliquae Aquitanicae : Being contributions to the Archae-ology and Palaeontology of Perigord and the adjoining provinces of Southern France. London,Williams & Norgate.

M’unzel, S. C., Wolf, S., Drucker, D., & Conard, N. J., 2016. The Exploitation of Mammoth inthe Swabian Jura (SW-Germany) during the Aurignacian and Gravettian Period. QuaternaryInternational. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.08.013Scheer, A., 1985. Elfenbeinanh’anger des Gravettien in Suddeutschland. Arch’aologisches Kor-respondenzblatt 15, 269-285.

Keywords: Gravettian, Personal ornaments, Southwestern Germany, Southwestern France, Cultural

behaviour

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Insights in Epigravettian ornamentaltraditions: use-wear analysis on the shell

ornaments from Martin rockshelter(Alpes-Maritimes, France)

Leıla Hoareau ∗† 1, Didier Binder 2, Sylvie Beyries 3

1 Cultures et Environnements Prehistoire, Antiquite, Moyen Age (CEPAM) – CNRS : UMR7264,Universite Cote d’Azur (UCA) – France

2 Cultures et environnements. Prehistoire, Antiquite, Moyen Age (CEPAM) – CNRS : UMR7264,Universite Cote d’Azur (UCA) – Universite Nice Sophia Antipolis Campus Saint-Jean-d’Angely - SJA3

24, avenue des Diables Bleus 06357 Nice Cedex 4, France3 Culture et Environnements, Prehistoire, Antiquite, Moyen-Age (CEPAM) – CNRS : UMR7264,

Universite Cote d’Azur (UCA) – Universite Nice Sophia Antipolis Campus Saint-Jean-d’Angely - SJA324, avenue des Diables Bleus 06357 Nice Cedex 4, France

More than simple embellishments, ornaments have very diverse roles in human groups: cul-tural marker, symbol of a social status, etc. This polysemy certainly goes hand in hand with awide variety of ornamental compositions, which could carry diverse information. Reconstitutionof ornamental composition, by restituting the different uses of the elements, can allow us tounderstand, at least a part, the role of ornaments in societies.When ornaments are found in undisturbed burials, the preservation of the initial arrangement ofthe elements facilitate the reconstitution of ornamental compositions, which can have a culturalvalue. However, this kind of context of discovery is very rare for Epigravettian sites, and orna-ments are often scattered over the habitat. It is the case for Martin rockshelter (Alpes-Maritimes,France). Attributed to terminal Epigravettian, this small rockshelter revealed, among othervestiges, dispersed human remains belonging to only one individual, and 138 marine shell orna-ments, also scattered in the site. The refitting of lithic and bones in the 3 terminal Epigravettianlayers suggests a reworking which explains vestige dispersal. In this context, observing directlythe arrangement of ornaments on the body is impossible and only a functional study can giveus elements for reflection.

An experimental protocol have been carried out in order to identify the different traces onshells. Smoothing of edges and modification of the shape of the objects, observed macroscop-ically, allow to recognise the area of rubbing and constraints on the objects, giving preciousevidence about the arrangements of the objects. Polish and striations, observed with the micro-scope provide information on the materials in contact with the objects and the way ornamentsmoved during their use.These experimentations enabled us to suggest a reconstitution of ornamental composition usedat Martin rockshelter.

∗Speaker†Corresponding author:

34

Keywords: shell ornaments, Epigravettian, use, wear analysis, experimentation

35

Personal adornments and tools made of wildboar tusks in the Final Stone Age of Central

Russia.

Ekaterina Kashina ∗† 1, Aija Macane ∗ ‡ 2

1 State Historical Museum (SHM) – Krasnaya Square 1, 109012, Moscow, Russia2 Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg – Sweden

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) and its biological relatives were always a desirable hunting prey forpeople at all times all over the world. Prehistoric populations of North-East European forestzone used wide range of osseous materials in their everyday life, including wild boar tusks. Thispresentation focuses on collection of items made from wild boar tusks obtained from severalhunter-gatherer settlements (dated around 3000 cal BC) located in the center of Russian plain(territory of Volga and Oka River interfluve).The following categories of items were made of tusks: knives, burins, small oval pendants, smalltriangular pendants and torque-shaped adornments. During the investigation, various modifi-cation traces were observed on tusks. For instance, traces of preliminary cutting of tusk, tooldamages, which appeared during the process of working (for knives and burins), as well as repa-ration and reuse of damaged tools. The torque-shaped adornments could have been made indifferent ways: of tusk pair from one specimen, of left and right tusks from two different indi-viduals, or of one split tusk. Sometimes the end-parts of torque-shaped pieces were deliberatelycut off and were used as separate small pendants.

Apparently, all types of tusk adornments were worn by people in everyday life. This obser-vation is based on tusk items exhibiting heavy use-wear from settlement contexts. Finds fromseveral settlement and burial contexts allowed to reconstruct the functional use of torque-shapedadornments: they were obviously worn in pairs, not only around the neck, but also at the heador chest. Besides morphology and functionality, the special attention will be paid to the age andsize estimation of used wild boar specimens.Finally, the symbolic meaning and possible interpretations of tusk adornments will also be dis-cussed. The find contexts, at least in the discussed region and time, allow us to argue formore pronounced male role connected with the use and probably with production of wild boarpersonal adornments.

Keywords: wild boar tusks, personal adornments, Central Russia, Stone Age, Middle Holocene

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: eakashina@mail.ru‡Corresponding author: aija.macane@gu.se

36

Cultural evolution through the scope ofpersonal ornaments

Solange Rigaud ∗† 1, Solange Rigaud ∗

2, Solange Rigaud ∗ ‡

1 CNRS PACEA (UMR5199) – Universite de Bordeaux – Universite Bordeaux, Batiment B18, Avenuedes Facultes, 33405 Talence, France

2 CNRS-CIRHUS (UMI3199) – 4 Washington Square North, New York, NY 10003, United States

I will present how personal ornaments can be used to explore past cultural geography whenusing appropriate GIS and statistic methods. Based on the extensive record of personal orna-ments recovered from 436 well preserved stratigraphic units, I investigate cultural and populationdynamics at work during transition to farming in Europe. The method comprises several multi-variate analyses, including Partial Mantel test, NeighboNet Joining, AMOVA analysis, Wilcoxonrank test and spatial interpolation, in order to document how cultural traits, knowledge, andsymbols circulated from a community to another and if similar cultural mechanisms acted inthe various regions.

Keywords: Method, GIS, statistic, Neolithic, Mesolithic, Europe

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: srigaud17@gmail.com‡Corresponding author: srigaud17@gmail.com

37

The manufacture of ostrich eggshell beadsat Mumba Rockshelter, Tanzania

Andrew Kandel ∗† 1, Nicholas Conard 2,3

1 Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (HAW) – The Role of Culture in Early Expansionsof Humans (ROCEEH), Rumelinstr. 23, 72070 Tubingen, Germany

2 Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tubingen – Germany3 Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at Tubingen – Germany

Although Margit Kohl-Larsen excavated Mumba Rockshelter in Tanzania during the mid-1930s, her excavation still provides one of the best reference sections for studying the transitionfrom the Middle to Later Stone Age in East Africa. The exceptional 11 m stratigraphic sequencefrom Mumba yielded an impressive succession of Stone Age artifacts and fauna from the base ofBed VI, through Bed V and to the top of overlying Bed III. Across this sequence, the typology,technology and raw materials of the stone artifacts tell a story of gradual change. Ostrich eggshell(OES) artifacts represent another important category of finds, but these first appear in Bed III.The OES collection from Mumba is the one of the largest known in Africa and includes morethan 3,600 artifacts, two-thirds of which are complete beads. The OES assemblage also countsamong the earliest expressions of personal adornment in Africa. We studied the artifacts andexamined the different chains of production which prehistoric people used to manufacture theOES artifacts. The analysis shows that people employed different modes of production relatedto different needs and that these likely reflect a choice of style. Like the associated studies ofthe stone artifacts, the OES assemblage provides evidence for a surprising level of technologicalcontinuity. Furthermore, our study provides 12 radiocarbon dates for the OES artifacts of BedIII. Seven of the dates range between 38-33,000 cal BP, as consistent with previous studies.Two artifacts yielded ages between 29-23,000 cal BP, while three artifacts date from 5,000-4,500cal BP. Based on stratigraphic considerations, dating results and the technological analysis,we conclude that the appearance of OES artifacts occurs suddenly and in numbers greaterthan at most other East African sites. Examining the results of the lithic and OES analysestogether, we note that defining a clear break between the Middle and Later Stone Ages is not asstraightforward a task as some researchers assume. Over the last decade, studies of other EastAfrican localities have documented the importance of OES artifacts, suggesting that the makersof these symbolic artifacts used them as markers of individual and group identity. These findsprovide a glimpse of the complex cognitive and social behavior of people in East Africa at thetime when modern humans were spreading across Eurasia.

Keywords: Tanzania, Middle Stone Age, Later Stone Age, ostrich eggshell beads

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: a.kandel@uni-tuebingen.de

38

Group identity and social networks inGravettian. The case of perforated shellsfrom Poiana Cires, ului site, north-eastern

Romania.

Elena-Cristina Nitu ∗† 1,2, Marin Carciumaru 3

1 “Princely Court” National Museum Targoviste – 7 Justitiei Street, Targoviste 130017, DambovitaCounty, Romania

2 Museum of Human Evolution and Technology in Palaeolithic, “Princely Court” National MuseumTargoviste – 7 Justitiei Street, Targoviste 130017, Dambovita County, Romania

3 “Princely Court” National Museum Targoviste – 7 Justitiei Street, Targoviste 130017, DambovitaCounty, Romania

Most of the Paleolithic art objects and adornments discovered in Romania come from PoianaCires,ului site. Recent investigations in this settlement have revealed four archaeological layers:one Epigravettian layer and three Gravettian ones. The oldest habitation, the third Gravet-tian layer, is dated to between 25,760 ± 160 BP (Beta Analytic 244073) and 27,321 ± 234 BP(ER 11859) (31,969 cal BP) and yielded lithic material, fauna remains and large combustionstructures. The adornment items discovered in this layer are represented by 48 perforated gas-tropods shells belonging to the Homalopoma sanguineum (10 items) and Lithoglyphus naticoides(38 items) species. Homalopoma sanguineaum is a red-coloured gastropod which belongs to theTurbinidae family and is found exclusively in the Mediteraneean Sea. The discovery of thisspecies at Poiana Cires,ului, a site located in a mountain area specific for the region east ofthe Carpathians, 800 kilometers away from the nearest possible source, may have significantimplications on understanding human groups mobility and vast spaced social networks. PoianaCires,ului is one of the very few Gravettian sites where perforated Homalopoma sanguineumshells were found. Furthermore, to our knowledge, the Lithoglyphus naticoides species was notbeing used for adornments in the Gravettian, the perforated pieces discovered in Poiana Cires,uluibeing the only ones of this type. Except for the perforated shells, no other adornment item wasdiscovered in this layer. The surprising facts are the morphology and morphometry of these twospecies, which may account for the reason behind their selection, as well as provide a clue to theidentity of the group. This unique association of perforated shells, found in no other Gravettiansettlement, contributes to the individualization of the Poiana Cires,ului group’s identity throughtheir adornments. In addition to describing the pieces of adornments and the contexts in whichthey were discovered, the presentation will comprise the result of the technical and functionalanalyses carried out on the perforated shells (microscopy, traces of use), as well as discussionsregarding group identity and social networks in the Gravettian.

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: elenacristinanitu@yahoo.com

39

Keywords: Gravettian, adornments, group identity, social networks, north, eastern Romania

40

New bead assemblages from the Later StoneAge to Iron Age of Northern Malawi:

examining technological choice and localeconomies in diachronic perspective

Claire Heckel ∗ 1,2, Jennifer Miller 3, Andrew Zipkin 4, Francesco D’errico5,6, Elizabeth Gomani-Chindebvu 7, Jessica Thompson 8

1 Division of Anthropology/Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History -AMNH (US) (AMNH) – Central Park West at 79th Street New York, NY 10024, United States2 Travaux et Recherches Archeologiques sur les Cultures, les Espaces et les Societes UMR 5608

T.R.A.C.E.S, Universite de Toulouse - Jean Jaures (UMR 5608 TRACES) – UMR 5608 - TRACES – 5allees Antonio Machado F-31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France

3 Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta – United States4 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [Urbana] – 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana-Champaign, IL

61801, United States5 Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion – University of Bergen, Postboks

7805, NO-5020 Bergen, Norway6 de la Prehistoire a l’Actuel, Cultures, Environnement, Anthropologie (PACEA) – CNRS : UMR5199,

Ministere de la Culture et de la Communication, Universite de Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France) –Batiment B18, Allee Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, CS 50023 33615 PESSAC CEDEX, France

7 Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Culture Malawi – Malawi8 Emory University [Atlanta, GA] – 201 Dowman Dr, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States

This paper presents the initial results of a multi-pronged approach to the analysis of newly-excavated assemblages of beads from three rockshelter sites in northern Malawi: Hora 1, Mazinga1, and Kadawonda 1. Excavations in 2016 and 2017 at these sites yielded an assemblage of over150 beads and bead preforms made of terrestrial and aquatic shell and, to a lesser extent,bone and ostrich eggshell. Together, the assemblages span the Later Stone Age to Iron Ageand constitute by far the oldest bead assemblages in Malawi. The assemblages present anunparalleled opportunity to examine change over time in beads and bead-production in theregion. Earlier excavations (1950) at Hora 1 yielded the only complete LSA skeletons knownfrom Malawi, which are also the source of Africa’s oldest DNA (at 8100 BP); this provides furtheropportunity to understand ornament production within its larger cultural and biological context.A collective effort of specialists in Canada, the United States, and France, the analysis of theseornaments and their production stages integrates a range of methodological approaches: raw-materials characterization, radiometric dating, isotope analysis, morphometric analysis, residueand use-wear analysis, chaıne-operatoire reconstruction, and experimental archaeology. Thecombined results show technological choice and cultural transmission in LSA societies over timeand space, and across at least three environmental and climatic transitions: the Last GlacialMaximum, the dawn of the Holocene, and the end of the African Humid Period. They further

∗Speaker

41

serve as a basis of comparison between bead assemblages of the LSA bead and the Iron Age(after about 2 thousand years ago).

Keywords: East Africa, ornaments, parure, Later Stone Age, Iron Age

42

Personal ornaments, raw materials andmortuary practices: new insights into theSquare Mouth Pottery culture of the Po

Plain (Italy)

Roberto Micheli ∗† 1, Paola Mazzieri

1 MiBACT - Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio del Friuli Venezia Giulia(MiBACT-SABAP FVG) – piazza della Liberta, 7 - I-34135 Trieste, Italy

The Neolithic is an interesting phase for observing the changes which affected the materialculture and ideology of the prehistoric European communities. In particular, the Middle Ne-olithic of northern Italy records the full development of Neolithic groups and the progressivetransformation of their economic and social basis. During this period, the production of orna-ments improved and new types appeared indicating an increase in the complexity of costumeand appearance of individuals. This is also possible through the choice and manipulation ofparticular raw materials and/or characteristics shapes and colours of the ornaments, as well bytheir combination on the body or the dress.The Vasi a Bocca Quadrata” or Square Mouth Pottery (hereafter SMP) culture is the maincultural entity spread during the 5th millennium cal BC in northern Italy. It developed in threemain phases, marked by variations in pottery style and decorations and interesting a vast ge-ographical zone comprises between the Alpine range and the northern Apennines. Thanks tomany recent excavations, SMP mortuary practices are now well known in the western Emiliaand Mantua territories of the Po Plain. SMP material culture is characterized by a complexsymbolic manifestations perceiving by funerary evidence and influencing also the personal orna-ment field. In fact, SMP culture presents, particularly in the two earlier phases between 5.000and 4.300 cal BC, a certain complexity of the costume domain as indicated by the variability offorms and raw materials employed for ornaments, while the information is very scanty insteadin the last phase. In addition, many bodily adornment differences are recognized among coevalSMP groups of Liguria, the central Po Plain, and the Trentino area.The paper considers funerary evidence of the first two SMP phases of the Po Plain area onthe basis of the adornment objects and raw materials employed. Personal ornaments are madeof diverse materials such as shells, animal teeth and steatite. The study considers their geo-graphical distribution and chronology, the resources exploited, the variability of typology andtheir association with grave-goods, and finally their importance as material expressions of socialpersona in order to better understand economic and social importance of personal ornaments inSMP culture and their significance for the SMP groups of the Po Plain.

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: roberto.micheli@beniculturali.it

43

Keywords: graves, personal ornaments, raw materials, Middle Neolithic, Square Mouth Pottery

culture, northern Italy

44

Biomolecular identification of prehistoricshell ornaments

Jorune Sakalauskaite ∗† 1,2, Søren Andersen 3,4, Maria Borrello 5, AndreColonese 6, Alberto Girod 7, Igor Gutierrez-Zugasti 8, Hannah Koon 9,

Kirsty Penkman 6, Samantha Presslee 6, Helmut Schlichtherle 10, CarolineTokarski 11, Julie Wilson 6, Jaros law Wilczynski 12, Frederic Marin 2,

Beatrice Demarchi 1

1 Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin – Turin, Italy2 UMR CNRS 6282 Biogeosciences, uB-FC – Universite Bourgogne Franche-Comte – Dijon, France

3 Søren Henning Andersen – Denmark4 Aarhus University [Aarhus] – Denmark

5 Departement de geographie et environnement, University of Geneva – Geneva, Switzerland6 BioArCh, University of York – York, United Kingdom7 Italian Malacological Society – Sorengo, Switzerland

8 Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistoricas de Cantabria, University of Cantabria –Santander, Spain

9 Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford – Bradford, United Kingdom10 Landesamt fur Denkmalpflege im Regierungsprasidium Stuttgart – Gaienhofen-Hemmenhofen,

Germany11 USR Lille1/CNRS n3290, MSAP, University of Lille1 – Universite des Sciences et Technologies de

Lille - Lille I – Lille, France12 Polish Academy of Sciences – Krakow, Poland

Mollusc shells are one of the most widespread and iconic raw materials used in prehistoryto make ornaments. Different species of shells underwent consistent exploitation as far back asearly prehistory (e.g. Nassarius in Middle Stone Age sites), and were chosen on the basis of theiraesthetic qualities and material properties. The selection of certain species and the ornaments’typology can be used as a proxy for reconstructing patterns of cultural diversity, cohesiveness oflocal communities and changes in past societies. This would in turn help to untangle the com-plex processes that have contributed over time to the shaping of present-day European culturaland biological population diversity.Taxonomic identification of shell ornaments among prehistoric artefacts remains challenging,due to the fact that working the material (e.g. polishing) and/or degradation during burialmay have disguised or altered diagnostic morphological features. Moreover, shell ornaments donot typically attract the full attention of the archeometrist as a ”cultural heritage” item andare rarely considered for comprehensive analysis using the latest innovative technologies. Thishinders the possibility of building large datasets of securely-identified ornaments which can beused to reconstruct past environments as well as trade and exchange networks.

We exploit technological advances in biomolecular archaeology (analysis of proteins using mass

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: jorune.sakalauskaite@unito.it

45

spectrometry or ”ZooMS”, and stable isotope geochemistry) and state-of-the-art spectroscopictechniques (for microstructural and morphological studies) and focus on the identification ofshells that have been notably important for European prehistory, including Unionoidae (freshwa-ter bivalves, source of mother- of- pearl), Nassariidae and Spondylidae from Upper Palaeolithic,Mesolithic and Neolithic sites. We also address the issue of how to distinguish between fossilshells (i.e. from geological outcrops) and shells that were coeval to the makers of the ornaments.

Our research shows great potential even for small, heavily degraded or fragmentary shells andornaments; this could yield precious insights into patterns of landscape use and human mobilityagainst a changing environmental backdrop during the Pleistocene and the Holocene, revealingpossible routes for the exchange of materials and ideas.

Keywords: Biomolecular archeology, proteomics, mollusc shells, ornaments

46

The production and distribution of personalornamentation in the Paleolithic of eastern

Central Asia

Arina Khatsenovich ∗† 1, Evgeny Rybin 1, Nicolas Zwyns 2, AlexanderFedorchenko 3, Jovan Galfi 4, Roman Shelepaev 5, Byambaa

Gunchinsuren 6

1 Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences(IAET SB RAS) – 17, Acad. Lavrentiev avenue, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia, Russia

2 University of California [Davis] (UC Davis) – One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-5294, UnitedStates

3 Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences(IAET SB RAS) – Russia, 630090, Novosibirsk, Acad. Lavrentiev avenue, 17, Russia

4 University of Belgrade [Belgrade] – Studentski Trg 1, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia5 V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, SB RAS (IGM SB RAS) – Russia

6 Institute of History and Archaeology MAS – Mongolia

The territories of modern Mongolia, China and Transbaikalian Russia were inhabited byStruthio asiaticus (Asian ostrich) during the Pleistocene. The discovery of ostrich eggshellbeads in Upper Paleolithic sites supports the conclusion that this raw material was used in theproduction of personal ornaments along with softer types of stone, bone, ivory and antler inthe Transbaikal region and was the principal raw material for such purposes in Mongolia andChina, with few exceptions. Focusing on Paleolithic sites in northern Mongolia, it is possible toevaluate the evolution of bead-making and the distribution of such ornaments in eastern CentralAsia. A number of archaeological sites in the middle Selenga valley investigated during the pastfive years, including Tolbor-4, -16 and -21 as well as Kharganyn Gol-5, have yielded ostricheggshell beads along with stone pendants, including an item made of mica bearing evidenceof drilling. Ostrich eggshell beads are known in the region beginning in the Initial UpperPaleolithic, and they are associated with later stages of Mongolian prehistory, although theirspatial distribution shifts south toward the Gobi Altai near the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary.This research provides additional archaeological and experimental data on ostrich eggshell beadproduction, yielding evidence that this type of personal ornamentation could have been producedby hand- drilling since the Initial Upper Paleolithic. Ostrich eggshell bead production, alongwith the use of ochre as a pigment to color them, is among the similarities observed betweenthe Initial and Early Upper Paleolithic of Mongolia, southern Siberia and the Transbaikal. Thesoft stone pendants recovered from the Tolbor-21 site (the first such Paleolithic artifacts knownfrom eastern Central Asia) as well as an apparently non-utilitarian mica item bearing a drilledperforation from Kharganyn Gol-5, allow identification of the raw material sources, suggestingthat hunter-gatherer group mobility extended up to several hundreds of kilometers. This studyis supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project No. 17-06-00591.

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: archeomongolia@gmail.com

47

Keywords: Central Asia, Paleolithic, experimental archaeology, Struthio asiaticus, ostrich eggshell

bead, stone pendant

48

Shell ornaments from the Aurignacian andGravettian levels at La Vina rockshelter

(Asturias, northern Iberia): a technologicaland functional approach.

Renata Martınez-Cuesta ∗ 1, Igor Gutierrez-Zugasti 2, Solange Rigaud 3,Marco De La Rasilla Vives 4

1 Universidad de Cantabria – Edificio Interfacultativo, Avda. de los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander,Cantabria, Spain

2 Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistoricas de Cantabria, Universidad de Cantabria,Gobierno de Cantabria (IIIPC) – Edificio Interfacultativo, Avda. de los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander,

Cantabria, Spain3 CNRS PACEA (UMR5199) – Universite de Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France) – Batiment B18, Avenue

des Facultes, 33405 Talence, France4 Area de Prehistoria, Universidad de Oviedo – Facultad de Filosofıa y Letras, Universidad de Oviedo.

Calle Teniente Alfonso Martınez s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

Despite the current debate on the origins of symbolic behaviour, it is accepted that thegeneralisation on the use of shell ornamentation in Western Europe is dated to the Aurignacian,and related to Homo sapiens. Shell beads in the archaeological record of this period are stillscarce, but they gradually increase in the second part of the Early Upper Palaeolithic (i.e. theGravettian). In this poster we analyse 62 mollusc shell remains recovered from the Aurignacianand Gravettian levels at La Vina rockshelter, located in the Nalon Valley (Asturias, Spain).The shell remains were recovered from the Western and Central sectors of the site during theexcavations carried out at the site between 1980 and 1996. This research aims to characterize thedifferent stages of the chaıne operatoire of shell beads (acquisition of raw material, manufacture,use and abandonment) in order to determine technological and social patterns among hunter-gatherers societies from the Early Upper Palaeolithic in northern Iberia. First, we conductedtaxonomical identification, then we observed the shells under the microscope in order to select theremains with evidence of anthropogenic modification, and finally we analysed the perforationsunder the microscope in order to identify technological patterns and use-wear traces derivedfrom the manufacture and use of the shell beads. The results showed that shell acquisition wasfocused mainly on species usually not used for food, such as the gastropods Littorina obtusata,Littorina saxatilis, Trivia sp., Nucella lapillus, Nassarius reticulatus, and Turritella sp.; thebivalves Arctica islandica, Cerastoderma edule and Pecten maximus; and the scaphopod Antalissp.). Most of these remains showed signs of collection on the beach after they were dead. A fewremains from species habitually used for food were also found (e.g. Littorina littorea, Patellasp.). The presence of shells like Littorina littorea and Arctica islandica indicate the existenceof cold climate conditions. Only 24 out of 62 shell remains presented perforations or otherevidence of anthropogenic modification. The rest of the assemblage was composed by complete

∗Speaker

49

and fragmented shells belonging to species that has been used as ornaments in Upper Palaeolithicsites from northern Iberia, suggesting that they were transported to the site as raw materialbut they were broken during manufacture or discarded for shell bead manufacture. The resultsalso showed the existence of different technological solutions, the use of ochre associated to theshells and the presence of some use-wear traces.

Keywords: Shell beads, Technology, Symbolism, Aurignacian, Gravettian, Cantabrian region.

50

Coquilles et coquillages comme objetsd’ornementation en Afrique du Nord durant

l’Holocene

Ismail Saafi ∗ 1

1 Laboratoire mediterraneen de prehistoire Europe-Afrique (LAMPEA) – Aix Marseille Universite :UMR7269 – MMSH 5 Rue du chateau de lHorloge BP 647 13094 AIX EN PROVENCE CEDEX 2,

France

Souvent lorsqu’on parle de production d’objets d’ornementation, la matiere premiere utiliseeserait le coquillage marin. En revanche les coquilles d’escargots terrestres presentes sur lessites holocenes nord africains, servaient uniquement a la consommation humaine (Morel, 1980 ;Camps et Morel, 1983 ; Lubell et al., 1975 ; Hutterer et al, 2011 ; Taylor et al 2011, Saafi et al.,2013). La decouverte de coquilles percees juste derriere le peristome (terminus du dernier tourde la coquille) (Debruge et Mercier, 1912, Saafi, en cours) ouvre la porte sur des interpretationsautre que la nourriture. Ce genre d’ouvertures serait utilise dans la fabrication des colliers.Si l’espece concernee par ce genre d’activite en Tunisie est limitee a Sphincterochila candidis-sima, la liste comprend plusieurs taxons dans le reste des sites nord africains. L’effectif decoquilles perforees utilisees comme parure varie selon l’appartenance biologique (marine ou ter-restre) et la repartition geographique. Chaque type est plus abondant dans son biotope. Lasurrepresentation des helicides terrestres pourrait s’expliquer par l’eloignement de la mer dessites dits ” continentaux ” d’une part et le but et les besoins d’utilisation des tests d’autre part.Si les coquillages marins ont servi comme parure c’est grace a leur originalite et peut etre lasolidite de leurs parois, par rapport aux coquilles des gasteropodes terrestres. L’utilisation descoquilles terrestres serait occasionnelle et de courte duree (lors des ceremonies). D’apres lesetudes ethnographiques chez certaines populations berberes, les colliers d’escargots terrestressont utilises dans diverses fetes saisonnieres ou rituels (Laoust, 1920, Doutte, 1909).

Keywords: coquilles, coquillages, objets d’ornementation, Afrique du nord, Holocene

∗Speaker

51

Ornamental elements of the levels P/6 toP/2 from ”El Pirulejo” (Priego de Cordoba,

Spain)

Miguel Cortes Sanchez∗ 1, Marıa D. Simon-Vallejo 1, M. Carmen LozanoFrancisco 1, Jose L. Vera Pelaez 1, Marıa Gavilan Zaldua 2, Lydia Calle

Roman † 1, Ruben Parrilla Giraldez †

1, Jose A. Riquelme Cantal 3, Carlos Odriozola Lloret 1

1 Tellus. Prehistoria y Arqueologıa en el sur de Iberia. Universidad de Sevilla. (TellUS) – Spain2 Universidad de Sevilla – Spain

3 Universidad de Cordoba (UCO) – Spain

El Pirulejo is the largest Late Glacial archaeological sequence known to date for hinterlandareas in the south of Iberian Peninsula. This archaeological site present an archaeological se-quence with occupations of the middle-advanced Solutrean and Middle and Upper Magdalenian.Most of the ornamental elements correspond to a collection of malacofauna. However, there arealso pigments, other exotic rocks and some fossil.

Keywords: El Pirulejo, malacofauna, ornaments, taphonomy, archaeometry

∗Corresponding author: mcortes@us.es†Speaker

52

Reindeer teeth pendants: investigating redochre residues on personal ornaments from

Magdalenian and Gravettian contexts atHohle Fels using SEM-EDS

Elizabeth Velliky ∗ 1,2, Susanne Munzel 3, Brandi Macdonald 4, MartinPorr 2,5, David Stalla 6, Nicholas Conard 7

1 Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tubingen (INA) – Rumelinstr. 23, 72070Tubingen, Germany, Germany

2 Archaeology/Centre for Rock-Art Research and Management, The University of Western Australia(UWA) – 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009 Australia, Australia

3 Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Archaeozoology, University of Tubingen (INA) – Rumelinstr. 23,72070 Tubingen, Germany, Germany

4 Archaeometry Laboratory, University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) – 1513 Research ParkDrive Columbia, MO, USA 65211, United States

5 Institut fur Ur- und Fruhgeschichte und Archaologie des Mittelalters, ROCEEH - The Role of Culturein Early Expansions of Humans (ROCEEH) – Rumelinstr. 23, 72070 Tubingen, Germany, Germany6 Electron Microscopy Core, University of Missouri (EMC) – Columbia, MO 65211, United States7 Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology and Senckenberg Center for Human

Evolution and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tubingen – Schloss Hohentubingen, 72070 Tubingen,Germany, Germany

The Hohle Fels (HF) cave site in southwestern Germany has yielded exquisite examplesof personal ornaments from the Upper Palaeolithic, such as beads made from mammoth ivory,teeth, and other faunal elements. Included in this assemblage are pendants made from permanentreindeer teeth, specifically the incisors and incisorform canines. Similar pendants are foundthroughout Europe during the Magdalenian, and at HF, 66 cut reindeer incisors were recoveredfrom Gravettian (27-32ka BP) and Magdalenian (12.5-13.5ka BP) contexts, with the most comingfrom the Gravettian (33). The HF-pendants were created by sawing off the alveolar edge of theteeth still in the jaw, and then broken off. This resulted in a strip of the gum containingup to eight incisors, which could be worn like a necklace with ‘pearls’. Additionally, 15 ofthe reindeer teeth contain visible traces of red residues, which may indicate the applicationof red ochre mixtures to the pendants or the leathery gum flesh. The goal of this study isto establish whether the red residues are composed of iron oxides or organic residues, and, toconsider the possibility of an anthropogenic vs. a post-depositional origin. For this purpose, fivereindeer teeth from HF were analysed using non-destructive SEM-EDS. Results show that theresidues on all five teeth contain varying amounts of iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti),and silicon (Si), which are typical components of red ochre mineral phases. Some of the teethalso contain traces of sediment which showed a more variable mixture of Si, Fe, and Ti, as wellas potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), and discrete traces of carbon (C). On onetooth, we were able to differentiate an overlying carbon build-up from the red residue, which

∗Speaker

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could correspond to a post-depositional event. We consequently suggest that most residues onthe reindeer pendants have been purposefully added by humans, either for aesthetic purposesor more functional reasons, such as to slow putrefication. In any case, our preliminary resultsshow promising potential for further exploration of Palaeolithic behaviours related to the use ofochre and personal ornaments.

Keywords: Personal ornamentation, symbolic behaviour, Upper Palaeolithic, Red ochre, SEM

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Personal ornaments from osseous rawmaterials in the Late Neolithic Vinca culture

Selena Vitezovic ∗ 1

1 Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade – Kneza Mihaila 35/IV, 11 000 Beograd, Serbia

The Vinca culture phenomenon was widespread in the South-Eastern Europe in the LateNeolithic and Early Chalcolithic period, roughly 5400-4500 calBC. It is characterised by long-lasting, large settlements and rich and diverse material culture, including vessels, figurines,ground and chipped stone industries, etc. Osseous industries were also well developed, andincluded mainly daily tools, as well as personal ornaments. In this paper, an overview willbe given of the personal ornaments from several sites situated in Serbia (the eponymous siteof Vinca-Belo Brdo, Gomolava, Botos – Zivanica Dolja, Vitkovo, Stragari, Drenovac, Selevac,Belovode, Plocnik, etc.). Their quantity varied, and the site of Vinca-Belo Brdo provided therichest assemblage. Raw materials encompassed mollusc shells (mainly Spondylus, Glycymeris,Dentalium), bones, antler and teeth from various species, mainly wild. Typologically, theyincluded pendants, beads, bracelets, but also some more elaborated shapes, such as decorativeneedles or applications. Manufacturing techniques and usewear traces will be discussed as well.Technology of manufacture showed high level of technological know-how, while use wear tracesenabled reconstruction of the mode of use and also showed long use and repetitive repairs,suggesting these were valued objects. It is difficult to reconstruct their symbolic role, however,some hypotheses can be made on the importance of selected raw materials, time and labourinput, etc. Aside from settlement finds, it is important to note that the only two cemeteries ofVinca culture discovered so far also contained numerous personal ornaments made from osseousraw materials, in particular beads and bracelets from Spondylus and Glycymeris shells.

Keywords: osseous industry, bone, antler, mollusc shell, Neolithic, personal adornment

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La parure en coquillage et sa significationdans le Paleolithique superieur

mediterranee. Les gisements valencienscomme exemple.

Begonya Soler-Mayor ∗ 1

1 Museu de Prehistoria de Valencia – Spain

Les gisements qu’on presente dans cette etude, contiennent l’ensemble d’objets de parure plusimportante appartenant au paleolithique superieur mediterraneen. Plus de 1000 restes modifiespour etre utilises comme ornements personnels, lesquels ont donne une information unique etglobale sur la matiere premiere utilisee –os, dents, pierres, coquillages, fossiles-, les techniquesde perforation anthropique –grattage, percussion, pression-, ou le possible usage –pendu, cousu,adhere-.Gisements avec sequences chronologiques du paleolithique superieur, entre l’aurignacien et lemagdalenien, desquels on a travaille directement sur les restes de sept situes geographiquemententre les provinces de Valencia et Alicante: Cova del Parpallo (Gandia, Valencia), Cova delVolcan del Faro (Cullera, Valencia), Cova de Randero (Pedreguer, Alicante), Cova Beneito(Muro,Alicante), Cova el Compte (Pedreguer, Alicante), Coves de Santa Maira (Vastell deCastells, Alicante)cet Cova de les Cendres (Teulada, Alicante).

L’etude technologique et fonctionnelle des coquillages a ete faite a partir de l’analyse a la loupebinoculaire et le Microscope electronique a balayage des restes archeologiques et experimentauxpour mieux comprendre la fabrication et l’usage a travers l’etude des stigmates.Les objets de parure de ces importants gisements, bien connus dans la recherche du paleolithique,vont nous permettre d’obtenir resultats globaux d’une facon diachronique et aussi aideront al’etude de sa signification. La normalisation des pieces utilisees, les especes, sa provenance, sarepartition, etc. vont nous permettre une reflexion au tour des donnees et avancer dans soninterpretation.

Keywords: Ornement, Coquillage, Symbolisme, Paleolithique superieur, Mediterranee

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Adornment for the dead? Social andfunerary roles of ivory and bone adornmentin funerary context of late Prehistoric Egypt

Taichi Kuronuma ∗ 1

1 Archaeology Laboratory, Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMUAL) – 1-1 Minami-Osawa,Hachioji-City, Tokyo, Japan

Late Prehistoric Period or Predynastic Period in the 4th millennium B.C. is a crucial timetowards the emergence of Egyptian Early State. Although previous researches have traced thecomplexation of social structure through quantitative analysis of funerary goods, the meaningof goods par type in funerary context and its ideological development in the line of socialcomplexation are still inadequate. This is due to the separation of objects and archaeologicalcontext, since most of the cemeteries were excavated until early 20th century. This paper triesto discuss the social and funerary roles of the personal adornment of the buried person throughtypological analysis. The object to be focused is ivory and bone material artefacts which includeamulets, pendants, armlets, hairpins, combs or other objects. Since several social different rolesor functions are expected in this broader category of objects, the typology by previous researcherswill be reviewed in light of the way of use in funerary context, and similarity and dissimilarityof way of use among various ivory and bone artefacts will be observed. The analysis will bepresented in diachronic order for tracing the development of funerary ideology. Among thevarious cemeteries in the relevant periods, three Predynastic cemeteries at Naqada in UpperEgypt are subject of discussion. The source of analysis is both publication and unpublishedarchival material which is characteristic for these cemeteries. Objects will be contexlualisedthrough these documental sources, and the evaluation for the roles of ivory and bone objectswill be expected by this process.

Keywords: Late Prehistoric Egypt, Cemeteries at Naqada, Ivory and Bone Objects, Funerary

Ideology

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Real or fake? Red deer canine beads andtheir imitations from the 5th millenniumBC at Polgar-Cs’oszhalom (NE Hungary)

Alexandra Anders ∗ 1, Zsuzsanna Toth 1

1 Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE), Institute of Archaeological Sciences – Muzeum krt. 4/B (Bepulet), H-1088 Budapest, Hungary

Polgar-Cs’oszhalom is one of the most significant Late Neolithic sites in Northeastern Hun-gary. The settlement complex is made up of a tell, a multiple enclosure system ringing themound, a single-layer settlement and another double enclosure system. During the almost 100years of archaeological investigations among the settlement features a total of 145 burials couldbe verified. Different artefacts, grave goods and personal ornaments were found in large numberin these features. The necklaces, representing high prestige value raw materials, were strung outof Spondylus, limestone and red deer canine beads belongs to this latter category, found in thegraves both of women, men and children.In our presentation we focus on the manufacturing techniques, use and role of the red deer caninebeads and their imitations in the mortuary practices. Our study covered the raw materials (an-imal species and skeletal elements) used for the production of the beads and the reconstructionof the exact manufacturing chain. The archaeological finds were studied with optical microscopyto observe and identify the taphonomic defects, manufacturing marks and use-wear traces foundon the artefacts. Our aim was the full reconstruction of the life history of the beads, from theirbirth until to their burying and the understanding of their role in the mortuary practices ofthe Late Neolithic period. Who could have wear them? Was it regularized based on biologicaland/or social gender? Who had the ‘right’ to wear real or imitated canine beads regarding sexand age? Was there a deeper meaning in the composition of the necklaces (mixing Spondylus,limestone, real canine and imitated bone beads) beneath personalizing different high prestigematerials? How was personhood constructed with the help of these beads in the Late Neolithiccommunity of Polgar Cs’oszhalom?The project is financed from the NRDI Fund (K124326).

Keywords: neolithic, body adornment, red deer canine beads, constructing personhood

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Animal hard tissues artefacts from the gravegoods of the necropolises of Narde (Rovigo,

northern Italy).

Marco Bertolini ∗ 1, Ursula Thun Hohenstein ∗ † 2

1 University of Ferrara, Department of Humanities (UNIFE) – Corso Ercole I d’Este 32, Italy2 University of Ferrara, Department of Humanities (UNIFE) – Corso Ercole I d’Este 32 44121 Ferrara,

Italy

The two necropolises of Narde were discovered during the excavation of a new channel formethane pipeline in the countryside south of Fratta Polesine (Rovigo, Italy). In the same areaduring the 60s of the last century the Bronze Age settlement of Frattesina and another necrop-olis (Fondo Zanotto) both located in the vicinity of the site, were discovered. 240 tombs mostlyin incineration have been recovered. All the burials have been dated on the basis of the gravegoods from one ancient phase of the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age. Animal hardmaterials adornment are very frequent in these burial contexts for their variety and uniqueness.This study aims at analysing the artefacts in animal hard materials which were found inside theurns. The sample consists of 160 objects made of deer antler and ivory belonging to differentmorpho-typological categories and strongly modified by fire. Analysis was developed accordingto different stages, starting from the examination of artefacts in order to describe their morpho-metric characteristics, to their analysis with an optical stereomicroscope aimed at recognizingproduction and use marks. The study of the surfaces has thus allowed to analyse the main stepsof the reduction sequence. Finally, the presence of use-wear traces was difficult to ascertainbecause of a deep damage of the surfaces linked to the exposure to fire.

Keywords: Animal hard material, grave goods, incineration, Frattesina, Bronze Age, northern Italy

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: ursula.thun@unife.it

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Understanding Palaeolithic social identity inthe Easter Adriatic though the lens of

technological, use-wear and residueanalyses. The case of Vlakno cave (Dugi

otok, Croatia)

Barbara Cvitkusic ∗ 1, Emanuela Cristiani 2, Dario Vujevic 3

1 Institute for Anthropological Research (INANTRO) – Gajeva 32, Zagreb, Croatia2 Universita degli Studi di Roma ”La Sapienza” [Rome] – Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy

3 University of Zadar – Ul. Mihovila Pavlinovica, Zadar, Croatia

Over the last four decades, archaeologists have widely explored different aspects of prehis-toric symbolic technology and, particularly, the evolutionary implications of the use of bodilyornamentation (e.g. beads, pendants, appliques and pigments) in ancient forager societies. Inthe Eastern Adriatic region different types of ornaments were recovered at Palaeolithic and/orMesolithic sites, most of which are located in Croatia. Out of these sites, Vlakno cave on theisland of Dugi otok yielded the richest collection of portable art in the whole Eastern Adriaticregion. The rich and unique repertoire of symbolic technology from Vlakno cave is composedof decorated tools, ornaments and small carved anthropomorphic figurine. Beads and pendantsmade out of animal teeth, marine and freshwater gastropods shells are the most abundant find-ings. Yet forager symbolic behavior at Vlakno cave is also outlined by other types of findingssuch as two engraved fragments of chert nodules dated to ca.14 500 cal. BP. So far, thesedecorated stones are the first expressions of symbolic behavior in this part of Adriatic region.Furthermore, during the last field research anthropomorphic figurine carved with regular linearmotifs was found at Vlakno. Vlakno figurine has a perforation on the top upper part, suggestingits possible use as pendant. This kind of pendants are already known from the Gravettian siteslike Dolni Vestonice (Czech Republic), or Mal’ta (Russia), and linear engravings resembles oneson Predmosti (Czech Republic) Venus. So far this is the only Palaeolithic figurine of this type inthe Adriatic region. The authors would like to present the results of a techno-functional analysiscarried out on the repertoire of symbolic technology from Vlakno, including this interesting fig-urine described above, and discuss their implications for understanding modalities of productionand transmission of forager social identity in the region.

Keywords: ornamental assemblage, Eastern Adriatic, Pleistocene, Holocene, technological, use,

wear and residue analyses

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First approximation to the Gravettian sheallbead assemblage from Cova Foradada

Gala Garcıa-Argudo ∗ 1, Juan Ignacio Morales 2, Artur Cebria 1, JosepMaria Fullola 1

1 Seminari d’Estudis i Recerques Prehistoriques, Seccio Prehistoria i Arqueologia, Facultat de Geografiai Historia, Universitat de Barcelona (SERP) – C/Montalegre 6-8, 08001 Barcelona, Spain

2 Seminari d’Estudis i Recerques Prehistoriques, Seccio Prehistoria i Arqueologia, Facultat de Geografiai Historia, Universitat de Barcelona (SERP) – C/Montealegre 6-8. 08001, Spain

The main goal of this paper is to approach the techno-cultural behaviour of the Gravettiangroups in NE Iberia through the study of the shell ornaments. Here we present the archaeo-malacological assemblage recovered at the Early Upper Palaeolithic sequence of Foradada Cave(Calafell, Tarragona). Recent excavations have uncovered a stratigraphic sequence formed bythree main layers corresponding to the Late Pleistocene. The patterns of the archaeologicalrecord points to short and ephemeral human occupations, while most of the time the cave isoccupied by medium and large size carnivores.The techno-typology and the first chronological approaches place these occupations along theMiddle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition, from the Chatelperronian to the Gravettian. The up-permost of these layers has provided a malacological assemblage composed of more than 160shell beads that were mostly recovered in less than 1m2. A first direct AMS C14 age on asingle Homalopoma sanguineum specimen date this layer ca.31 kyr cal BP, consistent with anattribution to the Early Gravettian.

Traditionally the studies of perforation technology of shell beads have been based on subjec-tive methods, like the typological characterization of their morphologies. Trying to overcomethis, we have developed a 2D outline characterization of the perforations through an EllipticalFourier Analysis. This test allows the preliminary evaluation of the shape differences betweenthe species and their differential technological management. To semi-automatically process thelarge amount data generated, the software package SHAPE has been used.

The perforation techniques and suspension systems (as well as the use-wear traces) have beenanalysed first by digital microscopy equipment, allowing to create 3D models of the perforations.Later Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) was used to identify polished areasand wear features. Most of the ornaments are smeared in red ochre. The residue analysis wasperformed first visually with the digital microscope, and then complemented with the ESEMEnergy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.The further development of this work will allow to understand the role of shell beads as a groupidentity marker in the NE Iberia coastline during the Early Upper Palaeolithic.

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Keywords: Gravettian, shell beads, ornaments, geometric morphometric, Iberia

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Depot d’un ensemble d’elementsornementaux dans le Paleolithique superieurdu Cau del Roure (Serinya, nord-est de la

Peninsule Iberique)

Julia Maroto ∗ 1, Ferran Millan 1, Meritxell alvarez 1, Silvia Albizuri 1,2,Carles Roque 3, Florent Rivals 4,5, Ethel Allue 4,6, Manuel Vaquero 4,6

1 Area de Prehistoria, Universitat de Girona – pl. Ferrater Mora 1, 17004 Girona., Spain2 SERP, Universitat de Barcelona – c/ Montalegre, 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain

3 Area de Geodinamica Externa, Universitat de Girona – campus de Montilivi, 17003 Girona, Spain4 IPHES - Institut Catala de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolucio Social – c/ Marcel·lı Domingo s/n,

Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona., Spain5 Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA) – Barcelona, Spain

6 Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili – avinguda Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona., Spain

Le Cau del Roure est une petite cavite a acces vertical situee dans les grottes du Reclau(Serinya, Catalogne). Les fouilles anciennes, effectuees par J.M. Corominas en 1973, ont preservela moitie de la surface du site : un temoin de 3m2 et de 1.40m de puissance. Ce temoin est encours d’etude et fouille depuis 2012.Les 1,40 m de sediment correspondent apparemment a une seule unite stratigraphique, qui seraitsituee au debut du Paleolithique superieur, avec un age compris entre 30 000 et 39 000 ans cal-ibres BP.

Les restes archeologiques sont tres rares. L’industrie lithique est quasi inexistante, en parti-culier il y a un percuteur colore avec de l’ocre. Par contre, il y a un ensemble surprenantd’elements ornementaux, dont 7 (au moins) coquilles marines perforees du taxon Nucella lapil-lus sont les principaux. D’apres les donnees actuelles, cette coquille provient de l’Atlantique, cequi augmente son interet scientifique. Ceci n’est pas un fait isole, car il y a aussi des perles de lacoquille de cet escargot dans d’autres gisements du Paleolithique superieur des grottes voisinesde Serinya et de la Mediterranee iberique.

Les restes de grands mammiferes sont presents mais ne sont pas tres abondants. Toutefois,ils sont suffisamment significatifs. Il y a la presence, par ordre approximatif de frequence, de :Equus ferus, Cervus elaphus, Lynx pardinus, Vulpes vulpes, Bos primigenius, Capreolus capre-olus, Canis lupus, Felis silvestris et Ursus sp. Les marques de carnivores sont relativementabondantes, bien que la presence de nombreux os et dents complets merite d’etre mentionnee.La representation squelettique, taxonomique et des marques taphonomiques fait penser a unapport majoritaire des carnivores. Parmi eux, il dominerait, sans etre le seul, un carnivore telque le loup. Il n’y aurait aucune relation directe entre ces restes et les elements d’ornementation.

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Les restes de lapin et d’autres meso-mammiferes, oiseaux, micro-vertebres et coquilles conti-nentales sont tres abondants, mais ils n’ont pas non plus de relation directe avec les vestigesarcheologiques.

Etant donne que les indicateurs d’occupation humaine dans le site sont tres limites, il est difficiled’interpreter l’accumulation des elements d’ornementation si on ne considere pas qu’ils formentpartie du meme objet.Mais en raison de son contexte - la presence ponctuelle de cet objet precieux dans un repairede carnivores sans activite humaine - la possibilite d’une interpretation symbolique peut etreconsideree. En effet, le registre archeologique de ces dernieres annees dans la Peninsule Iberiquemontre quelques exemples d’objets ornementaux du Paleolithique superieur qui peuvent etreinterpretes comme des offrandes symboliques isolees.

Keywords: Ornementation, Paleolithique superieur, Nucella lapillus, Mediterranee iberique

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XIII-3. Integrating Ballistics intoArchaeology

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Ballistic Archaeology: a new agenda forcontextualizing the origin and evolution of

prehistoric weaponry

Sabine Gaudzinski Windheuser ∗ 1,2, Elisabeth Noack 1,2

1 Johannes Gutenberg - University of Mainz (JGU) – 55099 Mainz, Germany2 MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution

(MONREPOS) – Schloss Monrepos 56567 Neuwied, Germany

The question ”what made us human?” in our deep history is often answered by puttingforward the hunting way of life, inextricably intertwined with the formation of weaponry.Whereas we must assume that weapons initially served subsistence means only, during the post-Palaeolithic age we witness a continuous adaptation of weapon systems that occurred parallel towarfare. In stark contrast to the omnipresent importance of weapon technology and its evolutionfor our understanding of the humans we are today is the limited conceptual foundation on whichour current analyses on the topic is based. Thus, we currently lack a comprehensive method-ological agenda, especially for the systematic identification of hunting lesions on target and prey.Properties of potential targets are only insufficiently understood which leaves us mostly ignorantif we want to evaluate the effectivity of a weapon under varying conditions. We outline here thatit is the systematic integration of the scientific framework and methodological apparatus of bal-listic science and controlled experimental studies that can help us to overcome these desideratain archaeological research. The development of a ”Ballistic Archaeology” represents a crucialstep towards a novel and holistic perspective on past hominin behaviour.

Keywords: Ballistic science, prehistoric weaponry, hominin behaviour, methodology, projectile

impact lesions

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Ballistic properties of lithic arrowheads ofthe GS-1 / Preboreal transition.

Comparative approach of terminal ballisticsof the trapezoidal bitroncatures and straight

back (Blancheres) points.

Eugene Antolinos-Basso ∗ 1, Nicolas Naudinot ∗ † 2

1 Cultures et Environnement, Prehistoire, Antiquite, Moyen Age (CEPAM) – Universite de NiceSophia-Antipolis – 24, avenue des Diables Bleus F - 06357 Nice Cedex 4, France

2 Cultures et Environnements, Prehistoire, Antiquite, Moyen Age (CEPAM) – Universite de NiceSophia-Antipolis – 24, avenue des Diables Bleus F - 06357 Nice Cedex 4, France

Recent studies initiated in Western France and Northern Italy suggest that cutting edgearrowheads are not an innovation of the last Mesolithic communities but were already developedat the end of the Lateglacial in Western Europe both in the Late Epigravettian and Post-Azilianassemblages. This result is particularly interesting since it raises the question of the significanceof the development of this new type of weapon. It also raises the question of the reason ofthe abandonment of this solution during the first Mesolithic and redevelopment during thesecond Mesolithic. Is the development of this type of weapon the result of the developmentof new hunting strategies targeting particular resources? How to interpret the appearance ofthis new type of arrowhead in different environmental and socio-economic contexts? To answerthis question it is essential to develop use wears analysis but also, preliminary, to seek for thewound properties of these weapons comparing to classical piercing points of this period (straightback points called Blancheres points). For more than half a century experiments in natural orcontrolled environments, have studied cutting edge arrowheads. Nevertheless, the majority ofthe studies have focused on the use wear potential of experimental archaelogy. Ballistic studiesoffers a new functional approach allowing a better understanding of techno-economical aspectsof prehistoric projectiles. Through a comparative study of terminal ballistic carried out in acontrolled environment conducted in collaboration with the CEPAM and the CEMEF, it waspossible to start to evaluate the wound capacities of the trapezoidal bitroncated arrowheadsand Blancheres points known in the same lithic assemblages attributed to the last stages ofthe GS1 and first half of the Preboreal. While ballistic gelatin at 10% demonstrated the lethalpotential through the dynamic observation of lesions during the penetration, the addition ofskin and bones in front and into the gelatin suggests differences in their penetration ability. Wethink that wound ballistics approach constitutes a interesting way in complement of use wearstudy to evaluate properties of weapons and seek for their function. The study of prehistoricprojectiles in a controlled environment and on simulated organic matter now allows us to evaluate

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: nicolas.naudinot@cepam.cnrs.fr

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quantitatively the wounding mechanisms of projectiles in order to develop a research aboutfunction diversity of prehistoric weaponry.

Keywords: Early Dryas / Preboreal, Transition, Arrowhead, Terminal balistic

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Ballistics supporting the reconstitution ofthe functioning of microliths as projectile

armatures. Methodology and archaeologicalresults.

Lorene Chesnaux ∗ 1

1 Travaux et Recherches Archeologiques sur les Cultures, les Espaces et les Societes (TRACES) – CNRS: UMR5608, Universite Toulouse Jean Jaures – UMR 5608, TRACES, Universite Toulouse Jean Jaures,

Maison de la Recherche, 5 allee Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse cedex 9., France

Within the framework of a doctoral (Chesnaux 2013, 2014) then a post-doctoral research,we developed a new experimental approach implementing shootings on animal carcassses andparametrized shootings on ballistic gelatin (Gaillard et al. 2016). The references we obtainedallowed us to highlight a experimental model of the functioning of the projectile armatures ac-cording to their hafting modes (axial or lateral modalities).The communication shall present this methodological strength and the archaeological findingsabout the reconstitution of the hunting chaıne operatoire and prehistoric mobility.

CHESNAUX L., 2013 - Microliths from 62 rue Henry-Farman, Paris (15th arrondissement) :specific arrows for different types of game hunted in particular places ? In B. VALENTIN,B. SOUFFI, T. DUCROCQ, J.-P. FAGNART, F. SEARA, C. VERJUX (eds.), MesolithicPalethnography Research on open-air sites between Loire and Neckar, Proceedings from theinternational round-table meeting, Paris, November 26 – 27, 2010, Paris, Seances de la Societeprehistorique francaise, 2-2, p. 119 –132.

CHESNAUX L., 2014 - Reflexion sur le microlithisme en France au cours du Premier Mesolithique(Xe- VIIIe millenaires av. J.-C.). Approches technologique, experimentale et fonctionnelle,These de doctorat, Universite Paris 1, 2014 : 197 p.GAILLARD Y., CHESNAUX L., GIRARD M., DARQUE-CERETTI E., BURR A., REGERTM., FELDER E., MAZUY A. (2016) – Assessing hafting adhesive efficiency in experimentalshoots of projectile points: a new device for instrumented and ballistic experiments, Archaeom-etry, vol. 58, Issue 3, p. 465-483.

Keywords: use, wear analysis, microlithism, mesolithic, hunting, ballistic.

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Does size matter? Dimensions ofMagdalenian osseous projectile points and

their adaptation to prey species

Sebastian Pfeifer ∗† 1

1 Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Department of Prehistory – Lobdergraben 24a, D-07745 Jena,Germany

In his comprehensive study on the atlatl from 1993, Ulrich Stodiek, referring to modernhunting ammunition, brought forward the hypothesis that size and weight of Upper Paleolithicosseous projectiles might have been to some degree adapted to different prey species.The general methodological problem of projectiles from archaeological context is that typicallywe only have the very points. Fully preserved archaeological and ethnographic examples clearlyshow that depending on projectile type and design, the contribution of the actual point toits overall size and mass can feature extreme variation: In case of a short arrow it might beconsiderable whereas being almost negligible in a long and heavy spear.This presentation evaluates the possibilities of decoding the interplay between projectile pointsize and prey species based on the archaeological record. To address this question, the CentralEuropean Magdalenian, a techno-complex characterized by a high number of osseous projectilesas well as by a rich and diverse faunal record, is used as an example. The metric data of over 1.600simple points (sagaies) and half-round rods (baguettes demi-rondes) from 62 sites are comparedand confronted with the associated faunal assemblages. Additionally, available experimentaldata concerning projectile point dimensions and effect on different targets are discussed as wellas selected ethnographic examples whose function is well known.

Keywords: Magdalenian, osseous, projectile, technology, ballistics

∗Speaker†Corresponding author:

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Hunting marmots on the Alps during theLate Glacial: experimental data and 3D

morphometric analysis of projectile impactmarks on bone

Rossella Duches ∗† 1, Nicola Nannini 1,2, Alex Fontana 1, FrancescoBoschin 3, Jacopo Crezzini 3, Matteo Romandini 2,4, Marco Peresani 2

1 MUSE - Museo delle Scienze (MUSE) – Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, IT 38123, Trento, Italy2 Universita degli Studi di Ferrara, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Sezione di Scienze Preistoriche e

Antropologiche – Corso Ercole I d’ Este 32, IT 44121, Ferrara, Italy3 Universita degli Studi di Siena, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente, UR

Preistoria e Antropologia – Via Laterina 8, IT 53100, Siena, Italy4 University of Bologna, Department of Cultural Heritage – Via degli Ariani 1, 48121 Ravenna, Italy

Despite the widespread application of high-resolution quantitative methods in bone taphon-omy, very few studies have focused on projectile impact marks (PIMs). Therefore, in a previouswork, we explored the potential of 3D microscopy in distinguishing bone hunting injuries fromother taphonomic marks, developing a widely-applicable diagnostic framework based on exper-imental data and focused on Late Epigravettian projectiles (Duches et al. 2016). Even thoughwe confirmed the validity of the method on zooarchaeological remains of medium size mammals(Nannini et al. submitted), the reliability of the experimental record in relation to smaller an-imals needed more tests and verifications: bones dimension and thickness could indeed affecttheir resistance to projectile impacts, influencing the morphometry of hunting injuries and therepresentativeness of PIM classes. In this regard, Late Glacial sites of north-eastern Italy in-terpreted as specialized marmots hunting camps represent an optimal case-study. Thousands ofmarmot bones from Grotte Verdi di Pradis, for instance, testify the exploitation of a minimumof 571 individuals, representing the 98.8% of the whole faunistic assemblage. In order to beas coherent as possible to archaeological data, the ballistic experiment involved 8 fresh coypus(Myocastor coypus) carcasses, shot by 130 Late Epigravettian arrows equipped with backedpoints and bladelets. Since only one puncture mark has been produced in front of a very highnumber of impact fractures and drags, the results confirm the affection of PIM class representa-tiveness by bones dimension and thickness. If the application of 3D microanalysis in examiningdifferent taphonomic marks have proved that only punctures and drags are diagnostic of impact(Duches et al. 2016), this new experimentation established that only drag marks are relevantfor the identification of PIMs on small mammals zooarchaeological remains. On the contrary,the general consistency of the morphometric data of experimental drags obtained on mediumsize mammals and the ones on coypus, state that the features of this PIM are generally notinfluenced by bones size and thickness. 3D measurements, processed through statistic, statein fact that several drags morphometric parameters - such as depth of cut, breadth at the top

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: rossella.duches@muse.it

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of the cut, breadth at the floor of the cut, opening angle and RTF index (ratio between thebreadth at the top and the breadth at the floor) - are consistent in both the experimentationsand significantly different from that of cut-marks. Using the experimental results for the inter-pretation of archaeological marks found on Pradis remains, we could identify with certainty 9drags on marmot bones. This result confirms the Epigravettian predation of alpine marmotsusing bow and arrow and enriches the current debate on the hunting of small preys during theLate Glacial.Duches, R., Nannini N., Romandini M., Boschin F., Crezzini J., Peresani M., 2016. Identificationof Late Epigravettian hunting injuries: Descriptive and 3D analysis of experimental projectileimpact marks on bone. Journal of Archaeological Science 66: 88-102.Nannini N., Duches, R., Fontana A., Boschin F., Crezzini J., Bernardini F., Tuniz C., DalmeriG., submitted. Archaeological bone injuries by lithic backed projectiles: new evidence from theLate Epigravettian site of Cornafessa rock shelter (Italy).

Keywords: Bone Taphonomy, Projectile impact marks, Hunting, Ballistics, Late Epigravettian,

Late Glacial, Italy

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Measurement set-up design forarchaeological experiments

Johannes Pfleging ∗ 1, Constantin Herbst 1, Elisabeth Noack 2, EduardPop 2, Nina Behrens , Geoff Smith 2, Radu Iovita 3, Sabine

Gaudzinski-Windheuser 2, Jonas Buchli 1

1 ETH Zurich – Switzerland2 RGZM – Germany

3 NYU – United States

The measurement of physical quantities in science is an important tool to gain insight intothesystem of interest. The quantification of physical variables is free of subjective bias and thereforeallows understanding and validation of the relationship between those variables and the under-lyingprocesses. In archaeology we are interested in the relationship between object modifications ortraces and the task that leads to such modifications.Experimental studies, which use sensors to monitor the task execution show that it is helpful toisolate the relevant quantities from the complex process of human manipulation. The relevantquantities often comprise kinetic trajectories of the experimental tool used including position,velocity, force, and the musculoskeletal variables of the subject, e.g. body kinematics, and mus-cleactivity. Traditionally, the focus is on tasks like stone knapping, scraping, or spear handling.In this contribution we want to give a short overview of how such a set-up should be designedinorder to obtain the measurements desired to answer the scientific questioning. Importantconsiderations are based on the characteristics of the task studied, like the speed and range ofthemotion, and expected peak values. Related questions are: Which sensor type can be used for acertain physical quantity. What specification should the sensor meet. What are the require-ments forthe measurement chain connected to it. How should the sensor be integrated in the tool? Whatis theexpected cost of a good set up? What are suitable tools for data processing?We will present three examples of measurement set-ups, which we were using recently for thestudyof scraping, spear thrusting and spear throwing. On the basis of these examples we evaluatedifferent solutions, and point out pitfalls that should be avoided. Special emphasis is set on aroboticposition measurement system based on camera and accelerometer measurements together withstate

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estimation. This solution is rather cheap compared to commercial motion tracking systems, butrequires more effort in installation and coordination of the sensors as well as appropriate pro-cessingsoftware.The results of our measurement-based studies on tool-use show that precise measuring andmonitoring of physical variables provide valuable insights to the principle processes of tracedevelopment.

Keywords: measurements, setup, sensor, experiments, archaeology, tool, usewear

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Origin and evolution of projectile technology– Integrating ballistics into controlled

experimental design and use wear analysis

Joao Marreiros ∗ 1

1 TraCEr, laboratory for Traceology and Controlled Experiments (TraCEr) – Schloss Monrepos 56567Neuwied, German, Germany

In pleistocene archaeology today, the innovation of projectile technology and distance weaponsis considered as one of the main thresholds in the process of becoming human. To establishtiming and context of the evolution of projectile weaponry, archaeological studies attempt tocombine different lines of evidence, such as techno-typology, morphometric and functional anal-ysis. While there is general consensus on the importance of the projectile technology in humanevolution, time and place of their origin are still discussed. The main reason for the ongoingdebate is the absence of methodological standards in experiments that determines the basicdata on which past tool use is inferred by exploring different types of use-wear traces, such asmicrowear (i.e. polish and striation), edge damage, diagnostic breakage patterns and residueanalysis. For the description of the latter, standards have been established, but the causalitybehind the appearance of these diagnostic traits remains unclear. Thus, our current method-ological setup to interpret the evolution of human weapon technology is based on correlationalone between a specific experimental context and its outcome.To overcome the mere description of diagnostic traits an experimental protocol needs to be es-tablished that systematically investigates the relevant variables that determine their appearance.In this contribution, such a standard experimental protocol for prehistoric weaponry studies willbe developed with the help of ballistic science. In ballistic studies the final effect of a projectileis known to vary according to the amount of energy released into the target, which includesdifferent variables, related to the use of different projectile systems (kinetic energy), materialproperties of the projectile tip and target material (e.g. raw material, surface, thickness, hard-ness, etc.), and impact conditions (e.g. impact angles and location). Due to the fact that allthese variables have major influence on the formation of impact marks on both projectile tipsand target material, it is fundamental to design experiments that allow us to monitor all as-pects involved as detailed as possible. By doing so, we can not only being to understand thedevelopment of specific traces of use but furthermore we can ask questions why specific weaponsolutions were developed to solve functional problems.In this talk, actual state-of-the-art methods and techniques on projectile technology studies willbe discussed, with emphasis on the contribution and integration of ballistic principles. Aimingto improve variable control, experimental design and experimental validation, other lines of re-search on use-wear studies, such as raw material properties and 3D data quantification, will alsobe discussed. Against this background, a standard experimental protocol will be developed andits potential to illuminate the evolution of human projectile technology demonstrated.

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Keywords: Projectile technology, human behavior, functional analysis, ballistics, experimental de-

sign.

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Palaeomechanical investigations of ballisticinjury patterns and weapon efficiency on the

basis of Bronze Age finds.

Melanie Schwinning ∗† 1, Hella Harten-Buga ∗

2, Ute Brinker 3, Jorg Orschiedt 2, Frank Nikulka 1, Detlef Jantzen 3,Annemarie Schramm 3

1 University of Hamburg – Mittelweg 177, 20148 Hamburg, Germany2 Free University of Berlin (FU) – Kaiserswerther Str. 16-18, 14195 Berlin, Germany

3 Landesamt fur Kultur und Denkmalpflege Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – Landesarchaologie Domhof4/5 19055 Schwerin, Germany

The complex and highly dynamic processes which led to traumata on prehistoric humanbones are difficult to determine by employing merely conventional methods and classical ex-perimental approaches. In order to resolve this issue, an innovative methodological process(Palaeomechanics) was developed, which investigates the relationship between the external me-chanical forces affecting the bone vis-a-vis specific injury patterns as well as the effects on thecausative weapon types.Palaeomechanic is a transdisciplinary suite of non-invasive methods covering 3D-imaging and3D-reconstructions combined with the Finite Element Method (FEM), originally used in engi-neering sciences. The FEM enables to numerically verify or falsify initial hypotheses concerningmechanisms of injuries based on material properties and loading conditions.

The discovery of around 12.000 bones with numerous injuries as well as various weapon finds inthe Tollense Valley in Northeast Germany hint at an armed conflict of unusual scale dating toca. 1300-1250 BC. Among the lesions, stabbing and projectile traumas dominate. Since 2010the site is under interdisciplinary investigations, financially supported by the German ResearchFoundation (DFG). In addition, the research project ”Palaeomechanical investigations concern-ing the coherence of injury patterns and weapon efficiency on the basis of Bronze Age humanbones and weapons”, (funded by the DFG since 2017), has engaged in the trauma analysis.

The injuries correspond to a range of late Bronze Age weapons found in the valley includingnumerous flint and bronze arrowheads. Case studies, focusing in particular on the character-ization and differentiation of wounding characteristics caused by projectiles, demonstrate thebenefits of high-resolution imaging and 3D-reconstruction combined with digital and numericalsimulations of the mechanism of injury.

Digital microscopy, micro-CT imaging and digital weapon matching were carried out, to obtain

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: palaeomechanik@uni-hamburg.de

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information about internal and external modifications of the bone structures cause by ballistictrauma as well as for the use-wear analysis of the arrowheads.

The FEM generated data concerning the influence of projectile and possible amour proper-ties, velocities, impact-forces and the angle of the attack on a trauma. Non-linear parameterswere applied to carry out real-time-deformation and collision-analysis to allow the simulationof likely attack scenarios. Results of these simulations are possible deformations and crackingcharacteristics of weapons as well as the characteristics and depth of the penetrating injury, thedevelopment of microfractures and the maximum shooting distance.The results of the presented case studies will be integrated with ongoing palaeomechanical anal-yses.

Keywords: 3D, Ballistics, Bronze Age, Armour, Finite Element Method, Injury patterns, Micro,

CT, Palaeomechanics, Tollensetal, Trauma, Weapon efficiency

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The contribution of experimentalarchaeology to understanding hunting

activities: testing the effectiveness of MiddlePalaeolithic stone-tipped spears.

Alice La Porta ∗† 1,2, Rob Hosfield 2, Linda Hurcombe 1

1 Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, UK. – United Kingdom2 Department of Archaeology - School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science (SAGES),

University of Reading, UK. – United Kingdom

The number of scientific publications and research projects on Middle Palaeolithic speartechnology and Neanderthal behaviour has exponentially increased in the last decade, makingthis research topic of considerable interest for understanding human behaviour and Neanderthalcomplexity.A large number of these experiments have focused on the identification criteria of diagnosticprojectile use-wear (DPUw). However, only recently has the focus shifted to further testing theinfluence that different variables (shaft length and weight, point morphology, tip cross-sectionalarea and perimeter values [TCSA and TCSP]) can play in the effectiveness of hand-deliveredspear systems.

Here we present the results of controlled and replicative throwing and thrusting experimentswith replicas of Middle Palaeolithic stone-tipped spears. For this purpose, flint Levallois pointswere used. Trained human participants threw and thrusted the spear replicas into animal tar-gets (carcasses). For each throw and thrust, high-speed videos recorded human movements whilean accelerometer calculated the impact velocities. The influences that different variables canhave on the effectiveness of the launch (penetration index) and the formation of DPUw wereinvestigated.

Integrated results between high-speed videos, impact velocities, acceleration profiles and pen-etration index, show (i) that trained participants score an high ”launch rate” and are veryconsistent, (ii) that previous throwing and thrusting experiments overestimated the impact ve-locities, (iii) that the use of ballistic gel does not mimic the exact momentum of the spear duringthe penetration of a real-world target. Although throwing and thrusting are complex processes,the acceleration profiles have enhanced our understanding of the different launch phases.

To better understand stone-tipped spear technology in the archaeological record, we proposeexperimental protocols that are more successful in replicating real-world processes.

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: al457@exeter.ac.uk

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Keywords: stone tipped spears, weapon delivery systems, projectiles, experiment, Middle Palaeoli-

htic

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The relevance of the properties of targetmaterial in experimental studies of

prehistoric weapons

Elisabeth Noack ∗ 1,2, Eduard Pop 1,3, Johannes Pfleging 4, ConstantinHerbst 4, Jonas Buchli 4, Radu Iovita 5, Martin Street 1, Sabine

Gaudzinski-Windheuser 1,2

1 MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution(RGZM) – Germany

2 Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz – Germany3 Leiden University – Netherlands

4 ETH Zurich – Switzerland5 New York University (NYU) – United States

In order to understand the rise and fall of different weapons technologies throughout humanprehistory it is imperative to establish their functional properties from a ballistic perspective.According to Kneubuehl (2008, 171 f.), a weapon can be characterized by its efficacy and itseffect. Efficacy in the ballistic sense describes the damage potential of a weapon, which is deter-mined by its physical and constructional properties. However, the actual damage of a weaponcannot be estimated by efficacy alone, since the overall properties of the target are determiningthe actual extend to which the damage potential can be inflicted. For estimating full effective-ness of a weapon, its interplay with the target material needs to be studied empirically. Butwhat kinds of target materials are most suitable when developing an experimental set-up thattakes this weapon-target interrelation into account?Gelatine and soap have become well-established as target materials in ballistic and forensic ex-periments for empirically testing the effect of a weapon. Recently, these target materials havealso been occasionally used in experimental archaeology studies. However, these materials canonly be used to study the effects of weapons on soft tissues and provide no information of theeffects on resilient material such as bone. To produce archaeologically relevant results, the pre-ferred target choice for experiments conducted by archaeologists is intact animal carcasses orcarcass-parts. With such an experimental set-up essential research on the principal performanceof prehistoric weapons was conducted in the past decades, resulting in a comprehensive cata-logue of impact traces on projectiles and in particular on skeleton elements. With the help ofthis diagnostic framework Zooarchaeologists consistently identified potential projectile lesionsin archaeological assemblages.

These findings give rise to a new set of questions, e.g. is it possible to differentiate betweenweapon types such as thrusting and throwing spear based on the specific characteristics of thelesion on a bone? To answer this question, the effect of a particular weapon type on a particulartarget material needs to be systematically investigated on a more fundamental level. For this, all

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parameters relevant in projectile-target interaction need to controlled and/or monitored withinan experimental set-up. As shooting on intact carcasses or carcass-parts makes it very difficultto control and monitor what and how hard tissue will be hit, a new method for target prepara-tion will be presented that ensures a sufficient amount of samples under controlled experimentalconditions. This method of target preparation was tested during an experiment using woodenthrusting spears. The results obtained clearly illustrate the dynamic process of weapon-targetinteraction and the potential of this methodology for estimating the actual effect of a prehistoricweapon.

References:Kneubuehl, B., 2008, Wundballistik der Geschosse und Splitter. In: Kneubuehl, B., Coupland,R. M., Rothschild, M. A., Thali, M., (Eds.), Wundballistik: Grundlagen und Anwendungen.Springer Science & Business Media, pp. 171 – 266.

Keywords: Projectile impact lesions, fracture pattern, ballistic archaeology, experiments

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Transversal arrowheads of the Mesolithic inBrittany: functional approach through a

ballistic experiment

Jorge Calvo Gomez ∗ , Gregor Marchand 1, David Cuenca-Solana 2

1 UMR 6566 du CNRS – CREAAH - Laboratoire Archeosciences - Batiment 24-25 - Universite deRennes 1 – Researcher – France

2 Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistoricas de Cantabria, Universidad de Cantabria,Gobierno de Cantabria, Santander (IIIPC) – Edificio Interfacultativo, Avda. de los Castros s/n, 39005

Santander, Cantabria, Spain

European Mesolithic has been traditionally defined trough the arrowheads, very often ge-ometrical microliths. Among other technical traditions, trapezoidal bi-truncations are knownin different Mesolithic assemblages, such as the Teviecian (Brittany, France). While the useof the symmetrical trapezes as transversal arrowheads is nowadays largely accepted, these bi-truncations have also been subject of various functional debates and experimentations. Thepresent study aims to a better understanding of the functioning of transversal arrowheads armedwith trapezoidal bi-truncations documented in teviecian contexts through an experimental per-spective. We wonder if the weight of the arrow it’s a critical parameter in the fly and thepenetration of these arrows. Moreover, we wonder if the impact wears of the trapezoidal bi-truncations of Beg-er-Vil (Quiberon, France) can allow us to asses more details of the functionof these arrows during the Mesolithic.An analytical experimentation was implemented to answer these questions. 50 trapezoidal bi-truncations were reproduced, armed as transversal arrow-heads in 2 types of wood shafts, andthrown into a Sus scrofa corpse, previously beaten, with a 52 lb. longbow. Lately, the impactwears of the experimental bi-truncations were analyzed and compared with those observed inthe Beg-er-Vil corpus. In particular, the initiation of the fractures (bending or cone initiation)was considered as a proxy to evaluate the toughness of the impacted matter.The results of these experimental work and the analysis of the archaeological material has allowedto increase the knowledge about the ecological and technical practices of the Holocene hunter-gatherers in the European Atlantic coastline, and to understand how these groups interact withtheir environment, both terrestrial and marine.

Keywords: Mesolithic, transversal arrowheads, ballistic experimentation, use, wear

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Understanding the ballistics of osseousprojectiles in southern Vietnam without the

aid of direct experimentation

false ∗ , Jennifer Hull ∗ † 1

1 School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University – Australia

Comprehensive analyses of osseous implements in later Holocene contexts of Southeast Asiais still developing, and there is great potential for the development of methodological frameworksin bone technologies that are particular to this geographic region. This is especially true of theNeolithic and Metal Age periods of the region where there has been almost no comprehensiveresearch into the diverse range of bone implements that have been recovered. In this paper Idiscuss osseous technologies from three settlement sites excavated in southern Vietnam. Thearchaeology produced a range of osseous artefacts with clear manufacturing and hafting evidence.These implements would have required a high level of technological skill to produce, and somewere quite elaborately designed. The use-wear analysis reveals impact damage suggesting use asprojectile points, but they seem to have a variety of functions, which are difficult to determinewith certainty. This raises some important questions: what reasoning was there to produce sucha variety of projectile forms, was there selective function? How can ballistics analysis assistin better understanding this technological system, especially without the aid of experimentalstudies?

Keywords: Vietnam, Osseous Projectiles, Ballistics, Usewear, Neolithic, Metal Age, Functionality

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: Jennifer.Hull@anu.edu.au

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What makes a warriors success? Comparingethnographic records with concepts on

prehistoric warfare

Andy Reymann ∗ 1

1 Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt, LOEWE-Project ”Prehistorical Conflict Research” –Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt Institut fur Archaologische Wissenschaften, Abt. III: Vor- und

Fruhgeschichte Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1 60629 Frankfurt, Germany

What makes a warriors success? Comparing ethnographic records with concepts on prehis-toric warfare

In archaeology our view on the past is still determined by evolutionistic thinking, especiallyin the evolution of weaponry, which are described with the expectation to observe functionalprogress along the time line: each chronologically younger change is expected to have advantagesover the older technological solutions. Therefore, the onset of metal weapons as swords foundin Bronze Age burials of central and northern Europa are regarded as being functional superiorto previous, stone based weapon systems. Here, the technology of armory is considered to havereached a point where the technological most advanced weapon, the sword, are linked with themost important people in society as the model of Kristiansens ”warrior chiefs” suggests. How-ever, on the Bronze Age battlefield from Tollense vally in north-eastern Germany, not only metalweapons but also an impressive amount of lithic arrow heads was found, indicating that actualBronze Age warfare was conducted by a combination of ”old” and ”new” weapon technologies.The basic question that will be addressed in this paper is therefore what factors influence theweapon technology applied by a society. As factors, the effectiveness as well as the social valueis often discussed. But what makes a weapon effective, in which situations and against whom?And can a seemingly setback in weapon technology be an increase in effectiveness on the sametime?

Those questions will be addressed by exploring ethnographic and ethno-archaeological case stud-ies, where the spectrum of weapons used in warfare can be contextualized with the requirementson their effectiveness. Geographically these case studies are located in North and South Americaand Africa and fall chronologically between the 12th and the 19th century AD, while the archae-ological correlations are taken from findings of the later Stone and Metal ages. In addition, itwill be demonstrated, that weapons can appear in different social contexts, not connected to thesocial status of their bearer or progressive status in the eye the archaeologists. In conclusion, theestablished picture of the highly honored sword bearer will be overpainted by a more ”realistic”model of weapon use in prehistoric time by emphasizing the fact that weapons effectivenesscannot be estimated by the weapon itself but how reliable it serves it purpose, the disablementof the target.

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Keywords: Ethnoarchaeology, Range Weapons, Interdisziplinary Science, Devolution, New is always

better?

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Why wasn’t the ceramic arrowheadinvented?

Michelle Bebber ∗ 1, Metin Eren ∗ † 1

1 Kent State University (KSU) – United States

In biology the concept of theoretical morphology has been used as a heuristic device for betterunderstanding the evolutionary trajectories of organisms. Theoretical morphology proceeds bycreating and examining hypothetical specimens not actually found in nature. So instead of ask-ing ”why does feature X exist”, a theoretical morphological approach asks ”why doesn’t featureY exist?” Here, we use this approach to address the question of why ceramic technology didnot evolve to replace stone technology with respect to hunting weapon tips (spear points, atlatldart tips, arrowheads). In other words: why didn’t the ceramic projectile point emerge? Clayis a readily available, economically efficient, and easily workable raw material. Likewise, objectsmade out of fired clay are extremely hard, sharp, and generally durable. We hypothesized thatthere was perhaps a functional constraint such that ceramic hunting weapon tips cannot performas effectively as stone ones.In order to test this hypothesis, projectile point test specimens were made of both stone andtwo grades of clay. These two materials were experimentally compared to establish parametersof how each performs under a given task. Using ballistics technology, the replicated arrowheadswere subjected to performance testing to comparatively evaluate and understand each type ofarrowhead’s ballistic characteristics. To test the performance attributes of each point type-i.e.stone versus high-fired commercial clay versus low-fired glacial clay-the hafted points were firedinto a target using a compound bow. The stone and ceramic triangle points were compared intwo ways: penetrability and durability. Penetrability refers to how deeply a point can pierce amaterial, while durability refers to how many times a point can be shot before it breaks.The results of this study will provide insight into past human behavior and will help archaeolo-gists better frame questions related to understanding broad evolutionary processes. By identi-fying artifact types that never existed via theoretical morphology, and then positing why thosespecimens did not emerge, we can generate novel explanations for the changes that are observedover time. Such an approach may provide valuable insight to the nature of cultural evolutionwhile elucidating new avenues for research within ballistic focused experimental archaeology.

Keywords: theoretical morphology, experimental archaeology, ballistics, projectile points, ceramic,

stone tools

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: meren@kent.edu

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‘Sticks and Stones may break these bones’:Experimental approaches to identifying the

use of wooden hunting spears during theMiddle Pleistocene and beyond

Annemieke Milks ∗† , Debra Carr‡ , Matt Pope§ 1

1 University College London, Institute of Archaeology (UCL) – Institute of Archaeology, UniversityCollege London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, United Kingdom

The use of wooden spears as hunting weapons from the second half of the European MiddlePleistocene onwards is now well-accepted. Archaeological and ethnographic evidence supportstheir continued use into the Late Pleistocene through to recent hunter-gatherer societies. Ex-amples of wooden spears are however rare, and are most famously known from the MiddlePleistocene sites of Clacton-on-Sea (MIS 11) and Sch’oningen (MIS 9), as well as the earlyLate Pleistocene site of Lehringen (MIS 5e). Partly as a result of their scarcity, experimentalreplication of their use is in its infancy, and therefore wound and terminal ballistics of suchweapons are poorly understood. Proposed examples of hunting lesions resulting from the useof wooden spears are limited to the British Middle Pleistocene sites of Boxgrove (MIS 13) andSwanscombe (MIS 11), and confidence in whether damage to scapulae from these sites representshunting lesions or not is hampered by a poor understanding of additional potential modifyingagents. This paper presents experiments conducted at Cranfield Defence and Security’s ballisticsranges replicating the use of untipped wooden spears as thrusting and hand-thrown weapons onadult horse carcasses. The resulting bone damage is compared with damage from an actualisticstudy of hammerstone use on adult horse scapulae for marrow and grease access. A descriptiveand quantitative analytical approach to experimentally-produced damage is compared with thePleistocene archaeological examples, which provides an empirical basis for evaluating the curvi-linear fractures on the Boxgrove and Swanscombe scapulae. Overall the experimental resultsoutlined help explain the rarity of hunting lesions from a weapon that looks likely to have hada long period of use, aids in comparing the weapon with subsequent innovations, and lays aframework for future experimental work replicating the use of wooden spears.

Keywords: Middle Pleistocene, ballistics, wooden spears, hunting, horses, hunting lesions

∗Speaker†Corresponding author: a.milks@ucl.ac.uk‡Corresponding author: d.j.carr@cranfield.ac.uk§Corresponding author: m.pope@ucl.ac.uk

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